USA > Ohio > History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. II > Part 56
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A place of considerable prominence in the knobs, within the limits of this township, is known as "Bald knob," a hill standing somewhat above the others referred to hereafter in this chapter. Iron ore is said to exist in consider- able quantities in the knobs; but the extent of this deposit is not yet known.
These hills appear to be composed principally
of sandstone and limestone, separated by layers of blueish shale, and covered to a considerable depth with drift. The soil is clay, and produces well of all the smaller grains.
Mr. Cottom thus speaks of the knobs:
A high range of hills known as the knobs, but called by the Indians Silver hills, run through the county from north to south, coming to the Ohio river near New Albany. These hills present an uneven surface, but are nevertheless covered with a soil peculiarly adapted to fruit-growing, and are es- teemed the very best orchard lands in Indiana, and among the best in the entire West. The severest winters known in this climate have but slightly affected the orchards on these hills, and their fruitfulness and the certainty of the crops up- on them have given these fruit-growing lands a wide and justly merited celebrity. They are esteemed the best lands in the West for the cultivation of the vine. These hill lands sell at very low prices, are easily and cheaply cultivated, and yield very large profits to those engaged in growing fruit up- on them. They readily grow, and in great perfection, the pear, peach, apple, grape, plum, quince, cherry, and all the small fruits. Grain of all kinds also yields remuneratively to the toil of the husbandman.
These hills contain iron ore in large quantities, and the best quality of sandstone and limestone for building pur- poses.
The knobs, in an early day, were noted resorts for wild animals of all kinds; and, long after the game had disappeared from the other parts of the township and county, it was still good hunt- ing in the knobs. Foxes, wolves, panthers, and wild cats were more numerous here than in other parts of the township. When the first settlers came these animals were found plentifully every- where ; but, as the lower and better lands were settled, they retired to these hills, where they found holes and small caves for hiding places, in which they were secure from hunters and dogs. Many wild animals remained here after the town- ship was entirely settled, and even yet foxes are occasionally found; so that this is considered fair hunting ground. There is an abundance of squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, quails, and other small game, while an occasional turkey or fox are secured. Raccoons, opossums, skunks, and other night-prowlers are plenty, and "coon hunt- ing " is a favorite pastime with the young men and boys. They are sure, also, to resort to the vicinity of the knobs. The corn-fields at the foot of these heights suffer more or less from the raids of the raccoon.
The timber on the knobs, and in other parts of the township, especially on the hills of the Big Indian, is heavy, and much of it of fine quality. Unlike the larger portion of the State,
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
and also of Ohio, timber is abundant for all pur- poses for which it is needed. On the lower lands it grows to a great size, and consists of two varieties of hickory-shell-bark and pig-nut- poplar, white and black walnut, maple, blue and black ash, mulberry, cottonwood, and sycamore. At the date of the first settlement, this variety of timber on the bottoms was further augmented by a dense undergrowth of dog-wood, iron-wood, paw-paw, black-haw, sassafras, spice-bush, willow, and many other species. Wild grapevines, and trailing vines of every description, spread over the ground and clung to the trees, climbing to the tops of the highest. Beautiful clusters of grapes in endless quantities were suspended from the tree tops, and the forest was darkened, even in daylight, by the density of the foliage.
Upon the undulating lands and on the hills the timber was, and still is, chestnut, red, white, and burr oak, hickory, beech, sugar, wild cherry, black locust, cedar, and an occasional pine. The woods in pioneer days were more open on the upland, and here, under certain circumstances, the hunters resorted for deer. Starting out from his cabin, securely anchored under one of the hills, he would make a circuit of the knobs to get the lee of his game; and he knew just what time of day and during what season of the year he would find it among the oak bushes and under- growth on the knobs. The oak timber, which is of excellent quality, is now being rapidly used for steamboat building and for hubs, spokes, etc. Much of it has also been used in barrel- making; for a large number of the first settlers were coopers, and were kept busy making barrels for the distilleries, which in an early day had an existence along all the streams in the township and county.
Fine sugar orchards exist in various places in the township, and the making of maple sugar has always been considered among the local industries.
There are in the township 17,611 acres of land, of which about one-half is improved, the other half being woodland. From an historical atlas of the State, published a few years ago, the fol- lowing remarks regarding the mineral resources of this county are taken. Minerals of whatever kind are mostly found in the knobs :
The mineral resources of Floyd county comprise iron ore, manganese, New Albany black slate, hydraulic limestone,
St. Louis limestone, knob sandstone, silica, mineral springs, etc. Iron ore and manganese are found in their strata along the Silver Hills. The New Albany rolling mills obtain a por- tion of their ore from these beds. A few years ago it was thought that the New Albany black slate, mixed with coal- tar, would make an excellent roofing material; but experi- ments have not justified anticipations.
The hydraulic limestone is found under the New Albany black slate, hut not in all places. The color of this lime- stone is a light drab, and it is classified as quick, medium, and slow-setting. This stone, in an economic point of view, isone of the most valuable in the county. The St. Louis limestone is quarried by several parties near Greenville, where it has a thickness of froin twenty-five to fifty feet. It is a fine building stone, and is used considerably in New Albany. It is also converted into road material, and used quite exten- sively in the county.
The knob sandstone is in many places from fifty to eighty feet in thickness. It hardens on exposure, and is used for doorsteps and many other purposes with success.
Near the tops of the hills in the vicinity of Mooresville, there are beds twelve feet in thickness, of a soft, bright-col- ored, ochreous sandstone, exposed portions of which make an excellent mineral paint.
Lying in compact beds near the intersection of Clark, Harrison, and Washington counties, is a fine-grained white sand, used in the manufacture of plate glass at New Albany. This formation is very extensive, of great economic value, and destined to play an important part in adding to the wealth of Floyd county.
Mineral springs are found in various parts of the county, possessing decided medicinal properties, and there are nu- merous noticeable mounds and other relics of a prehistoric race.
ARCHEOLOGY.
The first inhabitants in human form to occupy the territory above described were, so far as can be ascertained by historical research, the Mound Builders, a race of people which seems to have been greatly given to throwing up little mounds of earth, which yet remain to mark their exist- ence and abiding places in various parts of the country.
Few, if any, traces of this mysterious people remain in this township; but, as evidences of the existence of this people are all around, both in this and other counties, there can be no doubt that they once occupied this territory, and pos- sibly had it cleared and cultivated to a greater extent than it is to-day. Of this, however, the present generation know nothing.
One of their most remarkable works in this . part of the State has an existence in the ad- joining county of Clark, at the mouth of Four- teen mile creek.
Stone implements of various kinds, used by the Mound Builders, have been found in this township.
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
INDIANS.
Whether the Indians were contemporaneous with the Mound Builders, or whether the latter were driven out by the former, may never be known ; but they have been considered by his- torians as following the Mound Builders in their occupation of the country. There is, however, no doubt that the red man occupied for centu- ries the territory now embraced in the limits of Lafayette township ; but, as they were much like other wild animals of the woods, they did little or nothing to change the face of the country. They cleared occasionally a small patch in the woods for corn ; but, for the most part, they lived by devouring other animals of the woods, and on the fruits and berries that grew spontaneously everywhere. It is not probable that the Indians cleared land or cultivated corn until the advent among them of the French traders, who taught them this manner of getting a living.
One or two very small patches of cleared land appeared in this township at the date of its first settlement by the whites, which signified the former existence of an Indian camp. It is not believed, however, that any permanent, camp of Indians existed in this township; though this cannot be ascertained to a certainty. Upon the advent of the first settlers there was an Indian graveyard a short distance from the village of Scottsville, in the northwestern part of the town- ship. An acre or more of ground was here occu- pied, and indicated the presence of an Indian village for a considerable length of time. The road which enters Scottsville from the south once passed through this Indian graveyard, but has since been turned to one side. The house of Mr. Alexander McCutchan stands exactly in the midst of these ancient graves, and a gentle- man named Stoner lives near. Upon the ad- vent of the first settlers these graves were plainly marked, and consisted of small hillocks arranged in rows, much after the manner of white burials. The ground has since heen plowed over, and the graves have entirely disappeared from sight. It is known that the Indians used this territory ex- tensively as a hunting-ground and camped much along the Big and Little Indian creeks, and in the vicinity of some of the springs. Warriors from the tribes scattered along the Wabash doubtless came here in the fall and winter to hunt, and some of them may have remained here
continuously for years, returning occasionally to their villages or permanent camps.
An Indian trail once led from the Falls of the Ohio across the extensive bottom east of the knobs, and up along the foot of the knobs to Bald knob, over which it passed, thus entering the present limits of this township at that point. Passing down the western slope of the knobs, the trail took a line through the woods in a south- easterly direction, until it joined the main trail from the Falls of the Ohio to Vincennes, some- where, probably, within the present limits of Greenville township. One of the first roads through the county subsequently followed this trail over Bald knob, but has since been changed.
The significance and purpose of this trail seems very clear; it was to enable the red men to use this knob as a lookout and signal station. Any one who has visited this place can fully realize what a grand lookout station it would make. The view is entirely unobstructed as far as the eye can reach to the south, east, and northeast. One of the most beautiful and fertile valleys in the West lies spread out in a vast, un- dulating ocean of green, covering hundreds of thousands of acres, and the Ohio river can be distinctly traced for many miles. What a grand signal station for both Mound Builders and In- dians! and without doubt it was used by both during many centuries. The trail leading di- rectly from the Falls to this point is certainly suf- ficient proof that it was used by the latter. The Indians looked to the Ohio river as the great highway-for the approach of their enemies from the east; and from this secure lookout they could receive and transmit signals to great dis- tances both east and west. Mount Moultrie, in Kentucky, nearly fifty miles to the south, may be seen on a clear day ; and here the ancient dweller probably established a corresponding signal sta- tion. It may be remembered that it was near this mountain that the forces of Generals Rous- seau and Buckner met early in the war and en- gaged in some skirmishing.
The old trail has long since disappeared, with those who made it, and the beautiful bottom, once covered with heavy timber, is cut up into farms, dotted with farm-houses and villages, and the forest has given place to cultivated fields, with the exception of little patches here and there, like oases in a great desert.
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
The Indians occupied this territory until about the time of the War of 1812, when they disap- peared, and never afterward made their appear- ance here as a tribe, but an occasional straggler came to revisit the grave of his ancestors and to behold for a short time his well-known and well- remembered haunts.
The Indians disappeared very suddenly at the time of the Pigeon Roost massacre, which oc- curred a few miles northeast, in what is now Scott county, September 3, 1812. A party here murdered one man, five women, and sixteen chil- dren, and then made their escape. The Indians in this part of the country, fearing retaliation by the whites, made all haste to get out of the country.
Several block-houses were erected on the two Indian creeks during that war, and at least one within the limits of this township. It stood on Little Indian creek, near where the village of Mooresville now stands-a little below it, on the west side of the creek. An orchard now occu- pies the site. These houses were erected near each other all along the old Vincennes road; but the settlers never had occasion to use them, except as places of refuge in case of alarm.
FIRST SETTLERS AND SETTLEMENTS.
It is comparatively easy to find the location of the first settlement in this township, as of others in the county. It is natural to look along the first highways of travel for the earliest settlers in any country; and in this case the natural high- way was the great Indian trail leading from the Falls of the Ohio to Vincennes. The first white settlers in this region crossed the Ohio near the Falls, from the fact that in searching for new homes in the wilderness they first came to the frontier settlements, and then followed the only highways-the streams and the Indian trails. The frontier settlements at the beginning of this century were along the Ohio river, naturally-at Louisville and other points further up the river. The first settlers followed down this great natural highway in flat-boats, or pirogues, and, landing, pursued the red man's trail until it crossed the Indian creek, in this county. Here they found rich lands and made their settlements. They followed each other slowly at first, and entered land all along Indian creek, penetrating further and further into the wilderness, and continuing
on up the creek until they finally reached the limits of Lafayette township. The pioneers of this township found settlers on the creek, and pushed further until they found wild land upon which no foot of the white race had ever trod. Here they drove their stakes, cleared a little spot, built their cabins, and began to hew out of the dense wilderness their future homes.
The valley of the Big Indian, therefore, re- ceived the first settlers in this township. These were probably the McCutchans, some of whom yet reside in the neighborhood. The Wellses settled in the same neighborhood, but are now within the limits of Greenville township.
As near as can be ascertained, the pioneers of this township were as follows: William Mc- Cutchan and his two sons, Samuel and James, in 1806. Those immediately following were the Nugents-Nathan, Levi, David, and Benedict; the Emmonses-Syrinus and Samuel. Others following about this time and later, were Eb- enezer and Henry Searles, Peter Quackenbush, John Galloway, Gideon Adkins, with his sons, John and Henry; Thomas Pierce, Patrick La- den, Michael Kinsey, Louis Vernie, John Cole- man, James Moore, a large family of Hickmans near Mooresville, John Kelley, the Carters, Gib- sons, and Edwardses, the Byrn family, consist- ing of the mother, five sons, and three daughters, Patrick Duffey, Joseph Hay, Robert Fenwick, Howard Walker, the Smiths and Shacklebons, John Sherley, the Errickses, Charles Byles, John Worls, Mr. Donnahue, John and Moses Scott, with large families, Robert Stewart, Captain Keydon, James McFall, William Graham, Mr. Roberts, the Welshes, and probably some others whose names have not been ascertained.
Before the advent of these permanent settlers there were, as remembered by the oldest pioneers now living, a few squatters or white hunters who were living here in huts, associating with the In- dians and living in the same way-that is, by hunting, trapping, etc. They moved away with their red neighbors, and their names have passed out of the memory of those now living. An oc- casional log hut, however, standing many years after the first settlement, marked the temporary abiding place of these semi-civilized white sons of the forest, and the little patch of cleared ground about the cabin showed that the contents of the "truck-patch" were appreciated, and that
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
something was necessary to health and happiness besides venison hams and wild fruits.
THE MCCUTCHANS
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first settled on the Wabash river very early in the present or possibly at the close of the last century, but subsequently removed to this county and purchased land upon Big Indian a little in advance of other settlers of that time. The family was originally from Ireland, but set- tled in Virginia and subsequently in Tennessee before removing to Indiana. A deed now in possession of Samuel McCutchan shows that the family were residents of Augusta county, Virginia, it being given by Governor Brooke, of that State, and dated October 1, 1782. Part of the family removed to Tennessee, where they remained but a short time. James moved from Virginia with his family directly to the Wabash country, where he lived a short time and was engaged in the Indian war of that period, being in the battle of Tippecanoe. Having had six horses stolen from him by the Indians, and being otherwise harassed by the savages, his family and himself being in continual danger of massacre, he left that country and determined to return to Virginia; but reaching his brother William, who had settled meanwhile in this county, he remained with him and subsequently purchased land and became a permanent resi- dent. He taught school in after years, and was probably the first teacher on Indian creek within the limits of this township.
THE NUGENTS
were from Kentucky. Penetrating the wild and rugged hills of the Big Indian, they went over and settled near a beautiful mineral spring not far from the Little Indian creek, where they built a cabin and cleared a little ground, but lived mostly by hunting and trapping. This spring is on the farm now owned by Joseph Campion, and is yet known as Nugent's spring, the marks of the old cabin being still visible. The family long since disappeared, and has not at present a representative in the township.
OTHER PIONEERS.
Howard Walker and the Welshes were also settlers in this neighborhood, among the first, and all hunters. Walker was from Kentucky, and purchased his land of Robert Stewart, who had preceded him a short time, and was a settler
in the vicinity of Bald knob. Stewart had a large family, but all moved away early.
John Galloway was also a Kentuckian. He remained but a short time on Indian creek, when he sold out and moved to Oregon.
These settlers were scattered over considerable territory, yet considered themselves near neigh- bors in those days. They obtained a living mostly by hunting and trapping, and looking for bee-trees. There was a number of decr-licks along the foot of the knobs, and in the hills of the Big Indian, which were closely watched by these hunters. The salt water still continues to ooze from the ground in places. One of their favorite hunting grounds was what was known as the "Big Rough," a kind of "windfall" on the hills west of the Big Indian. Big Rough had been made by a wind-storm, which prostrated the trees over a large tract of ground, at some period sufficiently remote from the date of the first settlement to allow time for a rank second- growth of underbrush and small trees of every description. This undergrowth, with the creep- ing vines and fallen timber piled in every con- ceivable direction, formed in places an impassa- ble barrier, and everywhere most excellent hiding-places for deer, bear, and a great variety of smaller game. Several hunters with dogs would conceal themselves around the outer edges of Big Rough, and, sending the dogs through it, would wait for the game, which was sure to make its appearance. Many a bear was tracked to the Big Rough, where it was compar- atively safe from the rifle of the hunter. Panthers, wild-cats, and wolves generally occupied the knobs and remained here in limited numbers as late as 1840 or 1850. Bears disappeared about 1840, but wild-cats, wolves, and wild turkeys re- mained to a much later date. The latter may be found occasionally even yet.
The settlers were in the habit of blowing the horn whenever assistance was wanted. The sound of a heavy dinner-horn could on a still day be heard several miles. It was quite a convenience also in calling together a party of hunters for any special occasion ; or, if any one was sick, help could be summoned in a short time. There were no doctors among the earliest pioneers, and little need of them ; but occasion- ally some one took sick, and then the teas which every pioneer mother understood how to make
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
from the herbs growing in the woods, were brought into requisition, and generally effected a cure. It is said that Mr. Walker at one time blew the horn vigorously and continuously until he had all the settlers for many miles around at his house, the trouble being simply that Mrs. Walker had an attack-somewhat severe, of course-of the stomach-ache. The old gentle- man never heard the last of it, as it was consid- ered a serious matter to give the peculiar signals of distress and danger on the horn, and no one was expected to do it unless something decidedly calamitous was apprehended. Neighbors ar- ranged signals of different kinds on the horn, and it was used to convey special messages between neighbors, or to arouse the neighborhood ; and the signal-horn thus came to be an important musical instrument in the settlement.
Among the worst enemies of these pioneers were the numerous venomous reptiles ; and they frequently suffered from their fangs, as did also their cattle and other domestic animals. Rattle- snakes of two or three varieties, copperheads, vipers, and massasaugas were the poisonous ser- pents. Rattlesnakes were less feared than the others, because they generally gave warning of their presence, while the presence of the others was only ascertained by their deadly sting. The pioneers, however, understood the treatment of snake-bites, and few deaths occurred from this cause. Venomous reptiles have not yet entirely disappeared from this region, but are not numer- ous at the present time. Mr. William McCutchan was bitten about one year ago by one of them, and, as he neglected the wound, being in doubt about the character of it for some time, he yet suffers from it.
Gideon Adkins was a settler on Big Indian in 1816. Several of his descendants yet reside in the township. The family came from the vicinity of Bardstown, Kentucky. In later years Mr. Adkins kept a store and conducted a saw-mill for five or six years on Big Indian, a short dis- tance below the Bethel Presbyterian church. He died there some years ago, and in the settlement of his affairs the enterprise of store-keeping at that place was abandoned. His widow is yet living. The old store building is now used as a dwelling.
Several families of McCutchans yet reside on Indian Creek, engaged in farming.
The principal industries along the creek at the present time, besides farming, are coopering, burn- ing charcoal, and blacksmithing.
ANOTHER EARLY SETTLEMENT
in this township, and apparently entirely distinct from the settlement just described on the Big Indian, is known as the "Foreign or Catholic settlement." It is located on Little Indian, two and one-half miles north of Mooresville. A few Irishmen were among the earliest settlers here, though it is believed they generally came later than those on Big Indian, and most of them did not arrive until after the War of 1812. Among these were the Pierces, the Byrns, Nicholas Duffey, and others. Some members of this settlement bought out the Nugents and the lands of some other settlers before men- tioned.
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