USA > Indiana > Pike County > History of Pike and Dubois counties, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc. : together with an extended history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the state of Indiana > Part 24
USA > Indiana > Dubois County > History of Pike and Dubois counties, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc. : together with an extended history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the state of Indiana > Part 24
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Before the beginning of the eighteenth century the struggle between the great rival powers of Europe began for the posses- sion of the American continent, and a few years later the struggle was confined almost exclusively to the Mississippi Valley, the other points in dispute having been previously settled by the ar- bitrament of the sword, or by treaty. The two great rival powers for this territory were the French and English. The English based their claims to the valley on charters granted by their king. These charters almost invariably extended from the At- lantic to the Pacific, while the French, with the better right based their claims on the discoveries and explorations of the Jesuit missionaries, Father Marquette, the bold adventurous La Salle and others, together with the French traders. The British relied on their superior prowess and tactics, and the French on their earlier possession and friendship with the Indians. Many of the French went among the Indians, not for trade or barter, but burning with a zeal to convert them to the Roman Catholic faith, and to make them obedient subjects to the French king. To do this they went among them, and dwelt there as brothers, sharing their hardships, eating from the same dish, sleeping in the same wigwam, and fighting with them in their battles. On the other hand the English usually treated the Indian as a savage, and as a consequence they had frequent and bloody wars with the In- dians, while the French and Indian lived at peace as brothers. The result of the French policy toward the Indians, and by forti- fying at the mouth of all the larger rivers and their tributaries, gave the French possession of nearly all the Mississippi Valley up to the middle of the seventeenth century. Then began the
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY.
struggle for supremacy between the French and English. Vin- cennes was an important trading post for many years. This was founded the year of Washington's birth, 1732. At this place, on the 18th day of October, 1775, a company of speculators bought of the Piankeshaw Indians a tract of land embracing many million acres lying on both sides of the Wabash River. This land was bought for a small sum of money and a great many trinkets. Although duly signed by eleven chiefs of the tribe, it was never recognized by Congress. The first treaty with the Indians affect- ing this territory was at Vincennes, September 17, 1802, between the Miami chief, Little Turtle, and Richardville and agents for the Piankeshaw, Wea, Kaskaskia, Kickapoo and Eel River tribes, and Winamac and Tofinefic for the Pottawattomies; a second treaty, August 18, 1804, with the Delawares embraces all the south of the Indian trace through this county between the Wabash and Ohio Rivers. August 27, 1804, the Piankeshaws gave up their claims
to the same lands. August. 21, 1805, at Groveland, near Vin- cennes, the Pottawattomie, Miami, Eel River, Wea and Delaware tribes gave up all claim to southeast Indiana. Doubtless the great Shawnee warrior, Tecumseh, and his brother. Le-la-was-i-kaw, or, as he afterward was called, Penns-quat-a-wah trod the "trace" near Petersburg in their efforts to unite all southern tribes in the great Miami confederacy of 1810-11, from Florida to the lakes.
The local tribes in this county were the Wyandots, mainly to the east, and the Pottawattomies, who were the last to leave; scat- tering and roving bands occasionally passing down White River many years after the power of the great confederacy was broken. They seemed loth to leave their old hunting grounds. West and down the river were the Kickapoos. Nothing definite is known as to the local history of these tribes, other than that they fre- quently camped near some of the various springs of the county, and the bones of many of their dead have been found since their departure.
Mounds .- These monuments of a peculiarly remarkable peo- ple are very numerous in the county, extending as they do from the east to the western part of the county. They extend from Jefferson along the river through Washington, Madison, Clay and Logan Townships. They are always found either in the river bottom or along the edge of hills that skirt the bottom.
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY
They range in height from a few feet to seemingly thirty or forty fert. vet the exact height of the very high ones would be very dit- ficult to tell without extensive research, as will be explained further on. The object of the mounds, as well as the peculiar- ities and aims of their builders, will doubtless ever remain enshrouded in mystery. Whether this prehistoric people belonged to the Asiaties, the Egyptians, or were a part of the " lost tribes," or were distinct from any other, and were a preadamic race ethnology nor any other science gives little light; darkness and obscurity seems to encompass and enshroud them. The archeologist is often enabled to reveal many of the minute peculiarities of this people, and afterward have his knowledge verified by further discoveries. One thing is certain. The habits of the Mound Builders differ greatly from any characteristics of the North American Indian. They seem to have been more peaceful than warlike. It has been argued that the Mound Build- ers were a peaceful people living by agricultural pursuits or by fishing, and that they made war only for defense rather than as aggressors, and that their works, which were of a warlike charac- ter, were intended as places of retreat. Of the various kinds of work left by that peculiar people called Mound Builders, some seemed to be for watch towers or places of observation, doubtless as a warning against the approach of aggressive neighbors, some as places of sacrifices, and it is worthy of remark that they were doubtless sun worshipers or some rude form of nature, but not a gross or sensual character, some as burying grounds, as is shown by the numerous human remains, and other sepulchral evidences that abound in many mounds, some as fortifications as i- the case of the one at Fort Ancient in Ohio, which bears evidence of nice mathematical calculation, the white structure being a huge fort having a stone basement. a huge wall of earth on top: another frequently seen by the writer lies just across the Wabash River. about three miles below Gigville, Ill. This is a rectangu- lar earth-work enclosing about six acres of land, yet all bearing evidence of intelligent design. The mounds of this county belong to the same class as those extending from Pittsburgh. Penn., to the plateau of the Rocky Mountains. The size of some of the mounds and their number in this county indicate an exten- sive population, when we consider the means these primitive peo-
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ple had of transporting earth and the vast size of the mounds. The largest and most clearly marked of these mounds lies on the farm of George H. Siple, about two miles west of Petersburg. This mound has been built out from the higher grounds, and resembles a huge causeway or mole, where it coun ts the mound paper with the high lands behind it, and terminates so abruptly is to be inaccessible except to footmen, on all sides except the one joining the mound to the high ground behind it. Being joined as it is to the high lands back of it renders the matter difficult to tell how much of it is of artificial formation. On three sides of the mound at least, it is rounded and about as steep as loose earth could be made to stand and has been clothed in huge forest trees.
The mound in Clay Township of large size is of similar struct- ure and appearance to the one above described. The majority, however, are only from three to six feet high, and all the small ones of similar structure. These mounds seem to have been for burial or sacrificial purposes. yet the one above described, having the mole extending back to a large spring. might indicate a camp of defense. The relics that have been found in these consist of stone hatchets, arrow heads, both very numerous. occasionally copper beads and other works, pipes, and numerous human re- mains. Mr. Mount once found near the river bank a human skull washed from one of these mounds by the river encroaching upon it. John Stuckey, Mr. Oborn and a few others, whose names are forgotten, were digging a grave on top of a mound near Siple's, and reaching the depth of about three feet came upon the re- mains of three persons. The first was a huge being, the lower maxillary being large enough to pass over that of a living per- son, flesh and all. Mr. Stuckey further says that the femur bone was several inches longer than that of an ordinary man. Unfor- tunately these remains have been neglected and lost. Of the re- mains of the other two, one seemed to have been a woman, the other a child. The skeleton of the woman was reclining between the legs of the huge man, and the child between those of the woman. Other skeletons have been found usually with a stone resting under the head and one on the heart. Unfortunately no extensive, scientific examination has ever been made into these mounds. Doubtless they would richly repay the archaeologist for his pains.
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY.
CHAPTER III.
BY W. S. WHEATLEY.
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY-IMPORTANT PROCEEDINGS OF THE COM- MISSIONERS-NEW TOWNSHIPS-PUBLIC BUILDINGS-COUNTY OFFI- CERS-FINANCES-POPULATION-THE PAUPERS-AGRICULTURAL, SO- CIETIES-ELECTIONS-GENERAL MATTERS OF INTEREST.
A FTER the organization of Indiana as a State in 1816, the rapid increase in population made necessary the formation of new counties. Previous to 1817 the territory now comprising the county of Pike was included in Gibson County, but by the act for its formation, approved December 21, 1816, Pike County was made to include a much larger area than it now does. The fol. lowing is the act as far as it relates to the organization of the county :
AN ACT FOR THE FORMATION OF A NEW COUNTY OUT OF THE COUNTIES OF KNOX, PERRY AND GIBSON.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, That from and after the 1st day of February next all that part of the counties of Knox, Perry and Gibson included in the following boundaries, shall form and consti- tute a new county; that is to say, beginning at a point on White River where the line dividing Sections 9 and 10 in Range 9. Township 1 north of Bucking- ham's base line strikes the same; thence south with said line to the township line dividing Townships 3 and 4 south, thence east with said township line until it strikes the range line dividing Ranges 2 and 3 west; thence north with said range line until it strikes the line dividing the counties of Orange and Gibson: thenee with said line until it strikes Lick Creek; thence down said creek to White River; thenee down said river with the meanderings thereof, to the place of beginning.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted. That the said county shall, from and after the 1st day of February next, be known and designated by the name of the county of Pike, and it shall enjoy all the rights, privileges and jurisdictions which, to a separate county, do. or may properly appertain or belong:
Provided always, That all suits, pleas, plaints, actions and proceedings which may before the said 1st day of March next, have been commenced, instituted and pending within the countirs of Kaox, Perry and Gibson, shall be prosecuted to final judgment and effect in the same manner as if this act had not passed.
Provided also, That the territorial and county taxes which are now duc within the bounds of said new county, shall be collected and paid in the same manner, and by the same officers, as they would have been if the erection of said new county had not taken place.
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY.
Sec. Be further enacted, That G. R. C. Sullivan, Benjamin V. Beckes and Ephraim Jordan, of Knox County, William Hargrove, of Gibson County, and George Boone, of Harrison County, be, and they are hereby appointed commissioners to designate the place for the seat of justice of Pike County, agreeably to an act for fixing the seats of justice in all new counties hereafter to be laid off. The commissioners above named or others appointed by proper authority, shall convene at the house of Hosea Smith, in the town of Alexandria, ou the 2d day of February next, and then and there proceed to discharge the duties assigned them by law.
Sec. 4. Be it further enacted, That the board of commissioners of said new county, shall, within twelve months after the permanent seat of justice hall be established, proceed to erect the necessary public buildings thereon.
Str. 5. Be it further enacted, That uutil suitable accommodations can be Lyd in the opinion of the Circuit Court at the seat of justice of said new county. il the courts of justice of the same shall be held at the house of said Hosea Smith, in the town of Alexandria. And as soon as the court shall be informed that the public buildings are in such a state of forward ss as to accommodate the court, the said court shall adjourn to the county seat, and after that time the Circuit Court, and all other courts necessary to be held at the county seat of the county aforesaid, shall be held at the county seat established for said county.
Sec. 6 relates to a county library; Section 7, to senators and representatives ; Section 8, to the attachment of a part of Gibson County to Warwick County.
By examination of a map, it will be seen that Pike County at that time included all of its present territory except a part of Clay Township, and in addition took in all of what is now Columbia Township and a large part of Barton Township, Gibson County, a small part of Warrick and Perry Counties, all of Dubois County and that part of Martin County south of Lick Creek. By acts of the legislature in regard to the formation of Dubois County passed during the session of 1817-18, the present eastern boundary of Pike County was established, and the General Assembly of 1823-24 fixed the present limits on the west.
Acts of the County Board .- At an election held in February, 1817, Paul Tislow, James Campbell and Harrison Blackgrove were elected county commissioners and on the following Monday they met at the house of Hosea Smith. Their first work was to divide the county into townships, which was done as follows: All of the county west of the second section line east of the line dividing Ranges 8 and 9 constituted Madison Township; Wash- ington Township included all of the territory between the east line of Madison and the second section line east of the line dividing Ranges 7 and 8; Jefferson Township embraced all the remainder
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY.
of what is now Pike County, with two additional rows of sections of the south, and Harbison Township included all of what is now Dubois County, and a small additional area now belonging to the counties of Perry and Martin. Officers were ap- pionted for each of the townships, and an election of jus- tices was ordered to take place February 25. Washington was allowed two, Madison two, Jefferson one, and Harbison three. At the next meeting of the board, which was held in March, John Johnson was appointed agent of the county. He gave bond in the sum of $5,000 with Thomas J. Withers as surety. In May, David Kinman, William Crayton and Robert Brenton were ap- pointed to view a road from Petersburg to Phillip's Mill, and from this time forth roads were speedily laid out in all parts of the county.
At the same meeting William Wright, Campbell and Loan, John Butler, Benjamin Rice and Thomas Case were licensed to keep taverns. A pound fifty feet square was ordered to be erect- ed on the public square and Thomas Case was appointed keeper. In August the first levy of taxes was made. The rates were for first-rate land 50 cents per 100 acres; for second-rate land 433 cents per 100 acres, and for third-rate land 25 cents per 100 acres. Hosea Smith was allowed $16 for the use of his house as a court house. G. R. C. Sullivan received $100 for his serv- ices as prosecuting attorney for the year. This gentleman seems to have been an adept at securing full pay for his services. He was allowed more than all the other officers of the county com- bined for the first two or three years, and even then managed in some way to overdraw his salary. In May, 1819, contractors were appointed for building bridges over Pride's, Congress and Muddy Creeks. The law of 1824 transferred the transaction of public business to a board composed of all the justices in the county. Thomas Mead was president of the first board. In September, 1827, it was decided to offer a premium for wolf scalps. Fifty cents were paid for the scalps of wolves under six months old and $1 for those above that age. During the next four or five years over $50 was paid out for this purpose. The rates of taxation for 1830 were fixed as follows: Each horse 37} cents; work oxen, 182 cents; carriages, $1.50; brass clocks, $1; gold watches, $1; pinchbeck and silver watches, 50 cents: first,
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY.
second and third-rate lands, $1, 80 cents and 60 cents, respective- ly, for each 100 acres. Each town lot 75 cents on the $100 val- uation. License to retail liquor $10; license to vend merchan- dise, $15. From the above it is seen that a brass clock was a some- what expensive luxury, and it cost more to sell merchandise than whisky. In 1831 Elijah Hammond was appointed commissioner of the three per cent fund, and continued to hold the office as it existed. This fund was used in building bridges and the im- provement of roads. At the September term of the county board in 1832, 8213 was appropriated toward building a bridge across the Patoka, provided that enough could be raised by subscription to complete it. No evidence is obtained that any subscriptions were made and the bridge was not built.
New Townships .- In February, 1820, all of that part of the county sonth of a line running due east and west across the coun- ty, three miles south of the base line, was cut off and called Monroe Township. Previous to this Harbison Township had been taken off to form Dubois County. In November of the same year a new township called Adams was formed to include all of Monroe south of the Patoka and west of the South Fork of Patoka. The greater part of this territory was soon after an- nexed to Gibson County. Previous to 1824, the territory now included in Clay Township except the eastern row of sections which were added in 1825, belonged to Gibson County. In that year it was annexed to Pike County and organized as a separate township. In September, 1838. Patoka Township, comprising its present area and what was afterward formed into Marion Township was organized. The others organized were Logan in 1846, Lockhart in 1852, and Marion in 1857.
Collectors and Commissioners .- May, 1840, Meredith Howard was appointed collector for the county. Those who had preceded him in that office were Elias Osborne, 1832; George Chambers, 1833, and Charles Alexander, 1839. The commissioners of sur- plus revenue appointed were Thomas C. Stewart, 1837; George Chambers, 1840, and James Hillman, 1841. The trustees of county seminaries were Z. F. Selby, 1834; Charles Alexander, 1835; James R. Withers, 1837; Malachi Merrick, 1838; Samuel Stucky, 1841, and John S. Stucky, 1843. School commissioners, James Brenton, Peter. Brenton, 1836; Hiram W. Kinman, 1837;
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY.
E. B. Boon, 1843; George H. Proffit, 1846; Alexander Leslie, 1848. Boon resigned in 1845, and a committee was appointed to examine his accounts They reported a defalcation to the amount of $352.68, and the county board ordered suit to be begun on his bond
Court Houses and Jails .- One of the first acts of the county commissioners was to order the letting of a contract for building a court house. The contract was obtained by Thomas C. Stewart, who agreed to have the work completed by November, 1817. The building, however, was not received by the county board until the following February. It was erected on Lot 107, on the east side of the public square. It was built of hewed logs, and was 32x24 feet, two stories high. The cost was $599.75. At about the same time a contract for building a log jail was awarded to Peter Brenton, who received $1,340. The building was twenty feet square, two stories high, with double walls, one foot apart. the space between being filled with upright timbers. The cells were in the lower part, and the only entrance to them was a trap door in the floor of the upper story. In May, 1819, the county board authorized James Campbell, Henry Brenton, Sr., and John Johnson, to contract for the building of a brick court house as soon as $500 was subscribed for that purpose by the citizens of the county. The amount was not subscribed. By 1830 the old building had become unfit for use, and court was held at the house of Mrs. Elizabeth Finn. In September of that year Matthew Foster, Peter Brenton and Samuel Stocky were appointed to draft a plan and let the contract for building a court house. The con- tract for the masonry was given to George H. Proffit and Charles F. White. John Butler and Henry B. Merrick were appointed a committee to oversee the construction. The building was to be thirty-six feet square, built of brick with stone foundation. Prof- fit had his contract completed by 1835, but Butler, who received the contract for the remainder of the work, did not have it finished in May, 1836, and the county board was compelled to purchase mate- rial, and hire workmen to complete it. This building was erected on the public square, and the old lot was sold. In March, 1837, Elias Osborne received the contract for rebuilding the jail. The plan was about the same as before, and all the sound logs of the old building were used.
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY.
In 1838 a one-storied brick clerk's office, 36x18 feet, was built on the public square at a cost of $724, and in 1852 a similar building was erected for the accommodation of the auditor and treasurer.
In March, 1864, William H. De Wolf was appointed to confer with a competent architect in regard to plans for a new court house. Nothing more was done until June, 1865, when it was decided by the county board to build a brick court house, large enough to contain all county offices, and accommodate courts and juries. It was not, however, until August of the next year that the contract was let. William and R. P. Hawthorn agreed to erect the building, according to the plans and specifications, for $23,280. In July, 1866, a tax of 10 cents on the $100 was levied to constitute a fund for the payment of county bonds, which up to 1870 had been issued to the amount of $26,214. The court . house was completed in October, 1868, and was received by the county board. Many changes had been made in the original plans, which had increased the cost. The contractors received $8,521.62 for extras, making the entire amount expended, including archi- tects' and superintendents' fees, $33,264.89.
In 1853 Albert Smith and Goodlet Morgan took the contract for the erection of a jail to be 40x20 feet, built of brick on a stone foundation. The price agreed upon was $2,347.25. In 1885 this building was repaired at considerable cost, and an addition 24x21 feet added.
Later Acts of the County Board .- In December, 1863, a somewhat remarkable order was issued to the county auditor, J. P. Glezen. It authorized him to procure fixtures for the windows and a lock for the door of the court house for the pur- pose of keeping the gamblers out. It further stated that should they take possession of the building, he was entrusted with the power as agent of the board to disposses them. We leave our readers to draw their own inferences.
July 10, 1855, after the passage of the prohibitory liquor law, the auditor called a special meeting of the board to appoint an agent to sell liquors, as was required by that law. They met, but refused to appoint on the ground that the auditor had no right to convene them. He thought otherwise, and sent the sheriff to summons them to meet on July 21, which they accordingly did, but again refused to appoint.
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY.
In March, 1846, a resolution was adopted to appropriate a sum not to exceed $250 to build a bridge across the Patoka on the Evansville road. provided the commissioners of Gibson County would pay one-half. This proposition was accepted by that board in 1848 and the bridge was built. In 1851 the bridge was found to be too low, and it was raised to permit flat-boats to pass under. In 1860, $530.95 was paid as Pike County's share of the expense in building a bridge across the Patoka at Dongola. In Decem- ber, 1864, George W. Massey was allowed $495 toward building a bridge across the same stream near his residence. $500 reward was offered in December, 1863, for thie arrest of the parties who broke into the county safe. In June, 1870, George W. Massey was authorized to employ one or more competent persons to in- vestigate the books of the treasurer and auditor for the fiscal
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