History Of Indian Creek Township Thru 1882

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Indian Creek Township

This information is taken directly from Counties of White and Pulaski, Indiana, F.A. Battey & Co., Publishers, 1883, reproduced by Unigraphic, Inc., 1970.

If you become confused while reading this, remember that the book was written in 1883.

Note from the webmaster: This book was written with a curious mixture of full titles and abbreviations, use of numerals and use of written numbers (i.e., 31 vs thirty-one). This information is copied as it appears in the book, so please excuse the apparent inconsistencies.

The author wrote in very long paragraphs, and it is confusing to read. Therefore, many of the long paragraphs have been divided into shorter ones.

Who Was The First Settler?

The first settler in the township was John Reeder, who located on the south bank of the Tippecanoe, near Pulaski, during the latter part of 1837. But little can be learned of Mr. Reeder. During the following spring, Elisha Hall and Thomas Long appeared, and soon afterward Moses L. Washburn arrived.

During the autumn of 1838, Benjamin F. Grant, Leonard Widner, William W. Fisher and Robert Scott joined the others, all locating on the best land they could find within the present boundaries of Indian Creek Township. It is quite likely that others came in during the same period, as the facts are hard to get; but if so they were few.

Early Voters

In August, 1839, the following men, then living in Indian Creek Township, or rather in that portion of the county which afterward became Indian Creek, voted at the election held at the house of Asa Inman in Beaver Township: John Reeder, Robert Scott, Moses L. Washburn, Elisha Hall, Peter Prough, William Fisher and Benjamin Grant.

Indian Creek Township remained attached to Beaver Township until December, 1842, at which time the County Commissioners ordered a separate organization, and named the new township, “Indian Creek,” after a stream which flowed through the southern part, and which had taken its name from the circumstance of its being in early years a favorite location for temporary encampments of Pottawatomies. Township 29, Range 2 west (Indian Creek), was thus a part of Beaver from June, 1839, when the county was organized, until the month of December, 1842.

The settlers voted during this interval usually at the house of Asa Inman in Beaver, and residents of each Congressional township were elected to the various local offices. On the 15th of June, 1839 (second election in the county), out of a total of thirteen votes cast in both townships, Moses L. Washburn received thirteen for Justice of the Peace; William Fisher received on the Constable (hence was not elected), and John Reeder received six for Overseer of the Poor, and was elected, his competitor receiving a less number, several present not voting.

At the April election in 1841, for the combined townships, out of eighteen votes polled, Ira Brown received fifteen for Justice of the Peace; W. W. Washburn received eighteen for Inspector; Samuel Dickey received seventeen, William Fisher eleven, and Samuel Key six, for Constable; Moses L. Washburn received ten for Road Supervisor, and Jonas Good received seven for Fence Viewer.

At an election in 1840, for the combined townships, out of eighteen votes cast, Elisha Hall received eighteen and Benjamin Grant twelve, for Justice of the Peace; Moss L. Washburn received sixteen for Inspector; Ira Brown received seventeen for Constable; John Reeder, eleven for Road Supervisor; Robert Scott, twelve for Overseer of the Poor, and Samuel Dickey twelve for Fence Viewer.

So far as can be learned, and this is no doubt correct, the first election in Indian Creek Township, after its separate creation, was held on the first Monday in April, 1843, at the house of Jonas Good, formerly occupied by James Raver, with Moses L. Washburn Inspector of Election; Jonas Good and Eliza Hall, Judges, and James Raver and Ira Brown, Clerks. At this election, the following men polled their votes: John March, John Reeder, Daniel March, Robert Scott, Jacob Ruff, Jonas Good, Peter Prough, Ira Brown, Elisha Hall, James Raver, Moses L. Washburn, William R. Brown and William W. Washburn; total, thirteen.

For Justice of the Peace, Ira Brown received twelve votes; Constable, Moses L. Washburn, twelve. Overseers of the Poor, Peter Prough, twelve; Samuel Key, twelve. Fence Viewers, William Hines, twelve; Thomas Spencer, twelve. Supervisor of Roads, Jonas Good, twelve, Daniel D. Gemberling, twelve. Inspector of Elections, Elisha Hall, twelve.

At the August election, 1845, the following men voted in Indian Creek: George Christ, Moses L. Washburn, Samuel Decker, John March, John Reeder, James V. Blount, Daniel Tilman, Daniel D. Gemberling, William Parcel, William Washburn, Elisha Hall, Ira Brown, Daniel March, George Washburn, Thomas Fisher, William Taylor, Jonas Good, Thomas Spencer, Samuel Key, Peter  Hoover, David Fisher, Jacob Ruff, William Fisher, James Raver, Samuel Dickey, Jacob Smith, Peter Prough, W. R. Brown, Benjamin Baker and Lester L. Smith; total, thirty. This election was held at the house of Jonas Good, formerly occupied by Isaac Hatterbaugh.

Settlement

When the first white settlers arrived in Indian Creek Township, Pottawatomie Indians were every-day sights. All along Tippecanoe River and Indian Creek were favorite locations where detachments of the tribe temporarily encamped during certain seasons of the year to hunt, trap and fish.

They visited the houses of the earliest settlers to beg, trade and, in some cases, buy; but their greatest skill lay in their unrivaled powers of betting. If this proved unavailing, they usually had recourse to barter, offering cranberries, huckleberries, venison and other wild meat, and various trinkets. They wanted flour, meal, and all garden vegetables, and were not exacting in the least as to the cleanliness of the articles desired.

During the winter of 1838-39, some ten or twelve families of Indians wintered on the land upon which Ira Brown settled in May, 1839. Some time after Mr. Brown’s arrival, the Indians came one day to his house to trade for a large, valuable hunting dog owned by him. They offered two blankets, two silk handkerchiefs, and two saddles of venison; but Mr. Brown shook his head, and intimated that they must raise the price.

They were very much surprised, and drew themselves up in disgust, shrugging their shoulders, shaking their heads and muttering their displeasure. The trade was a failure.

In the township the Indians had built something, the use of which is not at present generally known. They dug an excavation in the earth about three feet deep, shaping it like a butter bowl, and then packed the bottom and sides with a tight floor of stones. During the afternoon they would kindle a brush fire in the excavation, feeding it until the stones were quite hot, and finishing about bedtime. They would then remove the fire and ashes, roll themselves in their blankets, lie down on the warm stones, and enjoy a comfortable sleep despite the intense cold weather. This ingenious device enabled them to pass the severest cold nights.

Incidents

Old settlers tell various stories about the early times. Some say they endured almost incredible hardships; had to deny themselves every luxury, and suffer continually from lack of sufficient food and clothing; had to go scores of miles to mill or to market, and be gone a week or more at a time; had no roads or bridges, and no teams except oxen or horses, and these were so poor that it “took two to make a shadow;” had no money, and nothing to sell to bring money, and no market if they had anything to sell; were forced to wear buckskin or go naked; were compelled to eat pork from hogs so thin and weak that they “had to lean up against a tree to squeal;” had to scrape and save for a  year to get enough to pay taxes, and a score of other privations that undermined strong constitutions, and bent many a stalwart form almost double.

On the contrary, others say they enjoyed themselves much better than they do at present; had an abundance of pork, venison, wild turkey, beef, squirrel, wild fowl, etc.; had suits of warm, home-made clothing; colored with leaves of bark from the woods; had good, strong teams of horses that could easily overcome the lack of roads and bridges, if the load was not too heavy; had enough money to buy provisions, notions and supplies from the store, to pay taxes and to buy an adjoining tract of land, and had their hours and days of pleasure in social enjoyment.

No doubt both tell the truth. It was then as it is now. Some had an abundance of all that makes life happy, while others were destitute of the plainest and commonest comforts and necessaries. History repeats itself the world over. The wise live, thrive, enjoy, multiply; the unwise, suffer, agonize, divide, and eke out short, miserable lives, and pass speedily from the earth they are unable to appreciate or adorn.

Mound-Builders

Indian Creek Township is quite rich n the remains of that ancient, mysterious people, known among scientists as Mound-Builders. That this country was inhabited by a tribe or race of people prior to its occupancy by the Indians, is no longer doubted by those who have made the subject a study.

Some eminent authorities maintain that they were the remote ancestors of the Indians, while others emphatically deny this and insist that the Mound-Builders were an entirely different race of people, giving as proof, among other things, the difference in the shape and size of the skull, the principal means of distinguishing the skeletons of one race from those of another.

The latter view is the prevailing one. If the citizens of Indian Creek knew that in some half dozen places in their township are the skeletons of human beings who lived upon the earth at the time of Abraham and centuries before Christ appeared to redeem mankind, the fact might cause them some surprise. This is the case.

Across the river from Pulaski is a large, earthen mound, which, in early years, was fully twelve feet high, and is yet, notwithstanding it has been plowed over for scores of years, fully five feet above the surrounding level. No doubt this mound was constructed thousands of years ago by rude barbarians, who carried the soil there in small vessels strapped upon their backs.

The mound is a very large one for this locality, being nearly 100 feet in diameter at the base, and undoubtedly marks the last resting place of some distinguished personages who were famous among their kind.

Many years ago, a minister living temporarily at the house of Ira Brown assumed the responsibilities of a resurrectionist and made an excavation in the summit of the mound, and threw out with the spade several crumbling human skeletons. The bones were very large and strong, though the smaller ones had returned to dust and the heavier ones were on the verge of disintegration.

Two mounds of a similar character, though much smaller, were discovered some distance up the river from Pulaski, and opened many years ago, human bones and charcoal being found.

At two other places below Pulaski, mounds were found, and in one case opened, the usual bones and charcoal being thrown out. What a field for thought and speculation do these mounds and their contents afford! How strange that a race of people should have once lived here and cultivated the soil and we know nothing of it save what is gleaned from their crumbling bones and earthworks! Fact IS stranger than fiction.

Pottawattomie Camps on Stream Give Name to Indian Creek

{This information was taken from "The Progress of Pulaski County: Ten Decades of Development, Souvenir Program & History" 1939.}

Pottawattomie Indians were quite numerous in Indian Creek Township when the first white settlers began to appear. It is said that the creek that flows across the southern part of the township was for many years a favorite camping place of these Indians. Thus the stream is called Indian Creek, and the name was given to the township when it was separated from the original Beaver Township in 1842.

Physical Features

This township was one of the earliest settled in the county. The low, marshy tracts of land were few, and as a consequence settlers came in rapidly, locating upon the higher sandy land, which was erroneously thought to be the most valuable.

Those who came early enough to have choice of land almost invariably selected the sand ridges, under the delusion that they were the most valuable, whereas precisely the reverse is true, the lower lands, if they can be properly drained, being much the richer and better.

In 1840, some twenty families lived in the township. All who lived in Indian Creek prior to the spring of 1839, except those who purchased their land by proof, were squatters, and held their homes under the laws of squatter sovereignty.

The following men purchased their land by proof during the year 1838, before the general land sale, given here in the order or purchase: William Craig, November 15, 1838, eighty acres on Section 32, the east half of the northeast quarter. This was the first purchase of land in the township, and the only one in November, 1838.

In December, 1838, the following men, in order, entered farms: John Reeder, Section 9; Ira Brown, Sections 9 and 10; Elisha Hall, Section 4; George Heter, Section 7; Elias Weiker, Section 8; William Fisher, Section 8; Samuel Burson, Sections 8 and 18; John Nerhood, Section 3; William J. Walker, Section 31; Robert Scott, Section 32; David Fisher, Section 17; Moses L. Washburn, Section 23; James Lemon, Section 3; James Lemon, Jr., Section 15; Noah S. Larose, Section 17; Robert R. Dickey, Sections 7 and 8; Joseph Smith, Section 31; Benjamin Grant, Section 31; and Samuel C. Sample, Section 3.

In 1839, the following additional persons, in order, entered land; Martin R. Tilman, Sections 7 and 18; Peter Blue, Sections 3 and 10; Hannah Blue, Section 10; Samuel Decker, Sections 10 and 17; James G. McKinley, Section 4; Joseph Felker, Section 14; Amos Beufer, Section 15; Daniel March, Section 17; Jacob Ruff, Section 8; George Wallensburg, Section 9; William Rogers, Section 4; William Rhonemus, Section 17; John Tilman, Sr., Section 4; Anderson Tilman, Section 5; Lawrence Cunningham, Section 7; Archibald Hammel, Section 7; Daniel McCaufel, Section 14; Mercer Brown, Section 14; Peter McNutt, Section 17; Jonas Good, Section 9; and Daniel D. Gemberling, Section 5. Quite a number of these persons did not reside in the township, but the greater number did.

The first thing to be done was to get up the rude round-log or hewed-log house, and often while this was being done the families lived in their wagons or in some old cabin that had been vacated by an earlier settler. Often families were taken into the cabins of other settlers, and sometimes dwellings no larger than 16x18 feet were forced to contain twenty or more persons.

The settlers always turned out willingly to assist the newcomers in getting comfortably located, as those who had already become established were anxious to have their neighborhoods rapidly improved. After the house was up and occupied, the next thing was to prepare the garden and field for the coming crop. The men went resolutely to work, and were often assisted by the women, and erelong corn and wheat fields were seen where erst the prairie sod or forest tree had flourished.

In 1840, not less than forty families lived in the township, and by this time several frame dwellings were standing.

The first roads were Indian trails, but by 1845 the township had two or more road districts, with competent Supervisors, and soon bridges took the place of fords and mud-holes. The first road ran along the bank of Tippecanoe River. The State had provided what was known as the Three Per Cent Fund for the construction of roads, and this was used as fast as obtained in laying out and building roads in all parts of the county. Indian Creek did not suffer for the want of roads, as many other townships did, as her soil was rolling and sandy.

The first settlers were obliged to go to Sheets’ mill, south of Monticello, for their flour and meal, and to Logansport for their store supplies. Sheep were brought into the township as early as 1842. Hogs soon ran wild in the woods, and sometimes were almost as dangerous as wolves, as they were known to attack men, and were shot like other wild animals.

After 1845, the settlers began to experience easier times.

The First Mill

In about the year 1842, Peter Hoover built a dam across Indian Creek, about a quarter of a mile from its mouth, and soon after erected thereon a frame saw-mill. An old-fashioned “flutter-wheel” was used, and an up-and-down saw, and from the start the mill had all it could do.

There were portions of the year when the mill could not run, owing to the want of water, but at other times it was often conducted day and night. Logs from as far up the river as Monterey were rafted down, and then up Indian Creek to the mill, where they were sawed into lumber for dwellings and barns.

This mill was the best of its kind ever in the township, and made a comfortable fortune for its owner. It was conducted by Mr. Hoover until his unfortunate and accidental death during the last war. It then passed to his son, who traded it for land in Beaver Township. It ran down a few years ago on the hands of  Mr. Galloway.

First Marriage, Etc.

Probably the first marriage in Indian Creek Township was that of William Fisher and Rebecca Widener, January, 1839. Mr. Reeder took the young couple in his sleigh, down somewhere in Cass County, to the house of some minister, who, metaphorically speaking, tied them together, when they were conveyed back to Indian Creek, to enter the new life in “double harness.”

John L. Widener died in December, 1838; this was likely the second death. A child was born to William and Rebecca Fisher in December 1839, which was, so far as remembered, the second birth. Mrs. Sophia Brown, widow of Ira Brown, is authority for the items in this paragraph.

The Pulaski Grist Mill

The dam across the Tippecanoe River at Pulaski was begun late in the fall of 1853, and completed early the following year, and a saw mill was immediately built on the long race that had been dug under the supervision of J. H. Gillespie. The race was about eighty rods long and was of sufficient width to carry a heavy pressure of water.

While the workmen were digging the race, one of them threw out a long tusk of some extinct animal, probably that of the mammoth. No effort was made to find the remainder of the skeleton which probably yet reposes in the bank of the race.

The dam was not properly constructed, as the water, pouring over, tended to undermine it, which after a number of years actually occurred.

As soon as the saw mill was up and running, the necessary lumber for a grist mill was sawed, and late in the fall of 1854, the building was contracted for by James Graham, and the work began, though the frame was not raised until the spring of 1855.

Mr. Gillespie, the good-looking carpenter above referred to, assisted in building the mill. This was the most important industrial enterprise ever begun and completed in the township, and one of the most important ever in the county, and the expense was borne by Ira Brown, John Decker, Jonas and Samuel Good, Daniel Short and John Stephens, all living in the vicinity except the latter.

The total cost of constructing the two mills, the race and the dam, was, in round numbers, $14,000. A Parker reaction wheel and three sets of buhrs, one for corn, were placed in the grist mill which, in 1856, began running. The building was 40x60 feet, three and a half stories high, and began its career of usefulness with a satisfactory patronage. The mill was calculated for four runs of stone.

While the work of construction was in progress, the contractor, Mr. Graham, died, and John Kessler, of Monticello, was assigned the work of finishing the job. He was permitted to place two sets of stone in the mill, and have the use of the same until the building was completed as a part consideration for his services; but the termination of the work was delayed longer than satisfied the owners who instituted proceedings and succeeded in enforcing their demands.

Several of the owners sold out about the time the mill was completed. The saw mill ran down about the time of the last war. A man named Low became connected with the grist mill, and finally became sole owner, but, soon after the war, sold out to Jacob Wood, at whose death it passed to his sons, David and Josephus, who yet own and conduct it. The present owners keep the mill in excellent condition, and are enjoying a lucrative patronage.

Village of Pulaski

The village of Pulaski owes its existence to the erection of the grist mill. Thirty-six lots were laid out in November, 1855, by David Short, proprietor, and J. O. Parrott, County Surveyor; but within a short time sixteen more were added.

The first dwelling was erected in the fall of 1854, by J. H. Gillespie, who was working on the mill then in course of construction, and who boarded the workmen in the new building. Soon after this, Mr. Gillespie and Samuel Good bought about $200 worth of dry goods and notions of a man named John Sefton, who had just moved into Beaver Township from Ohio, and who brought the goods in boxes with him. The goods were sold at Pulaski, and the profits about covered the cost of the supplies needed by the families of Good and Gillespie. They were sold in the boarding house by Mr. Gillespie. These were no doubt the first goods at Pulaski or in the township.

In 1855, Samuel and Ephraim Good erected a frame building and placed therein about $2,500 worth of a general assortment of goods, employing a man named Williamson as salesman. After about three years, the owners became involved and the goods passed to their creditor, Mr. Musselman, of Logansport.

James Shoultz opened the second store during the spring of 1856, but soon died, and his goods went to Short & Estridge, who conducted the business only about one year. Moses Frazee opened a store with J. F. Taylor as salesman, but within a year Taylor bought his employer out, and continued until the winter of 1863-64, when the store was destroyed by fire.

Taylor & Thompson then started up and continued until 1869, when they dissolved partnership, Thompson continuing the business alone until he was elected County Treasurer. After his official career, he returned to the mercantile business at Pulaski, where he yet remains, with a good trade and with the confidence and respect of the public.

Hovey Low conducted a store for a short time during the war. Arthur Hazen was also in for some twelve years, beginning not far from the same time. Mathew Hughes obtained the stock at the close of the war, but did not continue long.

Jacob Wood began in 1869. His son succeeded him. E. R. Brown and A. A. Butler and Dan also sold goods in town. Crist & March are there at present with a good stock. Huston & Goble, druggists, also hold forth in the village.

Dr. St. Clair was the first resident physician. He has been followed by Drs. Eaton, Blue, Osborn, Camp, Moss, Jones, and the present followers of Esculapius, McPherson, Huston, Oyler and Ward. Notwithstanding the fact that there are four practicing physicians at the village, the citizens continue to have reasonably good health. It is now thought that if as many more can be brought in, universal and permanent good health will be assured.

J. H. Gillespie was the first Postmaster, receiving his appointment in the fall of 1854, and continuing the most of the time for fourteen years. Elisha Hall had had the same office on his farm a short distance above the village for a number of years before. Mr. Gillespie was succeeded by Mathew Hughes, who in turn gave way to Jacob Wood, and he to A. A. Butler. Jacob Wood again took the office; then Jacob Wood, Jr.; then Samuel Low; then M. B. Crist, the present agent of Uncle Sam.

The population of the village has not exceeded about twenty families, and is usually less than that.

Town of St. Petersburg

{This information was taken from "The Progress of Pulaski County: Ten Decades of Development, Souvenir Program & History" 1939.}

Another town was once laid out in this township, named St. Petersburg. It was situated near the lower end of Indian Creek on the north side of the stream in section 31. The plat of thirty-nine lots was made to Noah Larose, surveyor of Cass County. The plat was recorded in April of 1848, so the proposed town was originated a few years before Pulaski was platted. It was probably during the balmy days of the saw mill in that vicinity that St. Petersburg was promoted.

Education

The first school in the township was taught in a deserted cabin on Section 31, during the summer of 1839, by Miss Mary Hall, afterward the wife of William Connel. The second was taught in the same house during the winter of 1840-41, by Isaac Olds, who is yet living. Probably the third was taught by Mrs. Lucy Grant, in her own dwelling the following winter. She taught several terms here, and kept a good school. A Mr. Budd taught in a deserted cabin on Section 21 in 1844-45. The first schoolhouse proper was the old Washburn house, erected in 1845 or 1846.

The first schools were held in occupied and unoccupied dwellings as early as the winter of 1842-43. Samuel Dickey taught a short term in his own log cabin, some fifteen or twenty scholars attending. School was also held in a log dwelling vacated by James Raver, Samuel Decker being the teacher. He is said to have been an excellent organizer; at least he made the scholars “stand around.”

William March, who was then quite a stripling, and was very fond of the girls, attended the school, and one day, while courting with more violence than necessary, managed to hurt one of the girls, so that her lip swelled up to twice its usual ripe-red size. This caused considerable surprise, as it was not dreamed that William’s kisses were poisonous.

The teacher thought so seriously of the affair, that, after mature deliberation, he concluded to “dress” the boy with a well-seasoned hickory gad, which he kept on hand for important occasions of that character. This was done amid the vociferous protestations of the youth. Both teacher and pupil are yet living.

This school was taught during the winter of 1844-45. School was taught in an old house on Section 31, vacated by Benjamin Grant, as early as the summer of 1842 or 1843, Mr. Grant, as already stated, being the teacher. Several terms were taught at the house of Jonas Good, one of the teachers being John Macbeth. One room of the double log cabin was used. School was also taught in Peter Hoover’s old house, a man named Brown officiating on one occasion. A log schoolhouse was built north of the river, on the land of Jacob Ruff, about 1847. In about 1853, a hewed-log schoolhouse was erected on Section 17, and the following winter, Thirza Washburn taught a three months’ term for $42, and boarded herself. She had a large school, between thirty and forty scholars attending.

In about the year 1855, the first schoolhouse was built in Pulaski, by Mr. Hazen, and William Pool was employed to teach the first term. Pool was also the first teacher in the old log schoolhouse built on Jacob Ruff’s land in about 1847. He taught a subscription school of three months, and was paid $1.50 per scholar. Pool knew how and when to use the “hickory.” One of Ira Brown’s boys, who went to him, reported that he gave each boy regularly “four licks three times a day.” Pool had evidently adopted Solomon’s specific for bad children. The splendid results in the schools were another proof of the wisdom of this son of David. The present schoolhouse in Pulaski was erected in 1875. Schools were started in all parts of the township during the ‘50s, and since then poor schools have been the exception.

Churches

As early as 1839, a Methodist missionary held religious services in the cabin of John Reeder. From this onward, until 1845, services were held regularly in his house. Benjamin Munson preached a great many times.

Among the first members of the class organized, there were: Elizabeth Reeder, Sophia Brown, William Fisher and Anna Fisher, his wife. William Washburn and wife became members a little later. After 1845, services were held in neighboring schoolhouses.

Various denominations were represented in the class that built a log church on Section 17. Sectarian lines were not as closely drawn then as they were a few years later. Professing Christians were glad to hear the word of God preached if the textual explanations did not agree with their notions. They all met, as they should, upon the broad bases of Christianity, and worshiped the same God. Presbyterians, Lutherans and members of other denominations erected this log church not far from the year 1854; but long prior to this the class had been organized in the residence of Jonas Good, where meetings were for many years held.

Among the early members were John March, Jonas Good, Frederick Reap, Daniel March, John G. Korner, Jacob March, and some of their wives and families. Rev. Chappais was a prominent minister about the time the log church was built. Rev. Miller, a Presbyterian, preached for the class. After a number of years, Rev. Jonas Michael, a German Reformer, visited the scattered remnants of the class, and sons succeeded in forming a small society of those who leaned in the direction of his views. The class multiplied, and in 1867 built their present frame church, at a cost of $1,200. They are now in a prosperous condition.

A Catholic Church society was organized in the southwestern part of the township some thirty years ago, and a small frame church built on Section 31. Among the early members were Peter Hoover, Jacob Ruff, Henry Weaver, Francis A. Eisert, Morris Stagmyer, John Senn, and others. Some fifteen years ago, the church was taken apart and moved to Section 17, where it was put together and enlarged and improved. Among the present members are Mathias Winters, Andrew and Frank Gelsinger, Joseph Wise, John Fitz, Stephen Roloff, Lawrence Hein, John, Frank, Ameal and Peter Rarlersdorff, George, John, Jerome and Ed Weaver, Joseph, Michael and Jacob Nise, Henry Hoover and many others. The church is prosperous, and talks of starting a denominational school.

The old Catholic Church north of the river was built not far from 1852, some of the early members being Jacob Ruff, Henry, John, Jacob and Frederick Weaver, George Row, and Charles, Philip and Conrad Bridegrum. Eight years ago, the present church was built on the same site. The class is large and in excellent condition.

The new Union Church, in the southern part, was erected in 1879, with the understanding that the house was to be subject of the use of any and all orthodox denominations, though the property is deeded to the Christian or Disciple class. Rev. W. J. Rhinehart organized the Christian class, and it was through his efforts, mainly, that the church was built. Considerable assistance was received from outsiders. Among the Christians are W. J. Rhinehart, Alexander Yont, Frederick Yont, Elizabeth Gruell, James Pepper and Hiram Sluyter. The Reformers also have a small class there. The Christian class was first organized farther south at a schoolhouse in White County, where it continued to meet for a number of years. James Atwood and William Winegardner have preached for the society.

The Pearl Divers

In about the year 1857, a citizen of Pulaski, having read of a man, who, on opening a clam shell, had found a pearl of great beauty and value, reasoned why the discovery could not be re-repeated in Indian Creek Township.

Filled to the muzzle with the thought, he began sauntering with the apparent unconcern along the river’s bank, though when he was certain that no person was watching him, he cautiously examined every shell that lay in his way.

In a short time his heart gave a great bound! He had discovered a beautiful pearl about the size of a small pea. He looked anxiously around, but seeing no person, feasted his eyes on the beauty that lay glittering in his hand.

Visions of sudden and amazing wealth swept through his mind, until his senses were reeling with delirious joy. He saw his wife in silks and satins ornamented with magnificent pearls, and his children romping through their palace home arrayed like butterflies.

What should be done! His wife, the sharer of his joys and sorrows, must be informed of the discovery. Carefully, so as not to excite her, which was highly dangerous, he whispered the news. The lady manned herself and escaped without hysterics.

It was decided to form a stock company to provide means to search for pearls, and accordingly a few old and dear friends were informed of their good fortune. A love-feast was held to begin with. All were eager to begin work before others had learned of the wealth that lay in the river within easy reach.

They began to act differently. Sunday suits were donned without regard to expense, a fresh and bountiful supply of groceries was ordered, 5-cent cigars were called for, the hand of charity was extended, and the stockholders, with pompous pride, strutted around like turkey cocks before Christmas.

The work of exploring the river for pearls was immediately begun with the utmost secrecy. About a dozen were soon found, and an agent was dispatched to LaFayette to find their actual value from the jewelers there. He reported their worth at $2 each, and the possibility of finding others so fine and pure as to bring thousands of dollars lured the workers on like a Siren.

The zeal was untiring. Pulaski never before saw such industry, energy, exultant hope an joy. Men worked day and night in the river, opening every shell they could find, even forgetting to eat their meals. Inquisitive neighbors were skillfully eluded. The search was abundantly rewarded, there being found within about two weeks 1,500 fine pearls.

It was then resolved to dispose of the stock on hand, to obtain means to continue the work on a much grander scale. One of the members (a gentleman of unswerving honesty) was entrusted with the jewels, and directed to go to Cincinnati to negotiate a sale. He stopped at the finest hotel in the city, took in the theaters, ate ice cream in amazing quantities without accident, and finally consulted a noted and trustworthy lapidary.

He was informed that his pearls were not wanted just at that time, that if he had brought along the shells a ready market would have been found. He walked out of the shop of the lapidary in high dudgeon. He then sent a few of the largest and some of the smallest to an eminent jeweler of Philadelphia and received a reply something like this: “The largest are worth about ten cents each, and the others about ten cents a bushel.” As there were not more than about a dozen of the “largest” in the whole 1,500, the agent was prostrated by the blow.

He immediately returned to Pulaski, and communicated the news to his fellow-sufferers. The dismay was complete. The poor members of the Pulaski Pearl Diving Association moved about like snails, with hollow eyes, calloused hands, sun-burned shoulders and sepulchral voices. All the bright clouds of the future were scattered in the sky. The stockholders, without exception, were ready to sell all their jewels, Esau like, for a mess of pottage.

To cap the climax, the Treasurer of the Association absconded with the jewels. As if the burden was not yet sufficient, the neighbors began to utter caustic remarks, which stung like the “rudder of a red-hot bumble-bee.” A member of the association informed the writer of the facts narrated above, “provided you will mention no names.”

Bridges

The first bridge across the river at Pulaski was built under the supervision of Ira Brown, not far from the time the village was laid out. It did not last long, and another took its place after a few years. Neither bridge was strong enough to resist the floods that periodically came flowing down the basin of the Tippecanoe, and the second was soon unserviceable.

At last, in September, 1875, the County Commissioners contracted with D. H. & C. C. Morrison, bridge manufacturers and contractors of Dayton, Ohio, to build at Pulaski a “Morrison’s Patent Wrought Iron Double Quadrilateral Truss” bridge, in two spans, at the rate of $20.50 per linear foot. William Flynn was given the contract for the stone work. The bridge, a fine one, was soon built at a total cost, in round numbers, including everything, of $6,500. It is considered a very safe bridge.

Miscellaneous

The following items were contributed by E. R. Brown, of Winamac:

“One of the first schools was taught by William Wall – ‘Old Billy Wall,’ as he was familiarly called – at the house of Jonas Good, Sr., as early as 1842, and possibly 1841; he was paid entirely by subscription, but how much is not known. His pupils were the older children of Jonas Good, Sr., John March, and a few of the children of persons living farther away, whose names cannot be ascertained.”

“The first death was that of Amanda Long, wife of Thomas Long, and daughter of Elisha Hall. She died in the summer of 1838, in a cabin on the north side of Hall’s Branch, near where the bridge now is. She died in childbirth. The child lived a few weeks and also died, and both mother and child were buried at Winamac, among the first there, if not the first.”

“The first cooking stove in the township was brought be Elisha Hall early in the ‘40s. He paid $50 for it. It was a small stove of the old-fashioned raised oven, or ‘step’ pattern. A man could easily carry it. He bought it on credit, giving his note. When the note fell due, he traded four nice large milch cows for it.”

“The German Reformed Church was organized out of material that was mostly, if not all, Old-School Lutheran, though in very early times both Lutheran and German Reformed ministers visited the neighborhood, and labored temporarily among the Protestant Germans. The first is thought to have been Rev. Reuben Good, D. D., now connected with the German Reformed College at Tiffin, Ohio. After him, probably came a Mr. Bossler, a Lutheran. His ministry extended over a considerable period, and it was probably under him that a Lutheran class was organized. It was about this time, also, that the log church was built. After Mr. Bossler, came a Mr. Chappais, generally known in the community as ‘Cabus.” He came with the design of remaining permanently. He settled on a new piece of land on the east side of the river, in the lower side of Monroe Township, south of the Shelhart or Neff place. But his ministrations were not acceptable to the members of the church, they claiming that he rebuked them too sharply for their manner of living. He consequently had to give up his preaching. He was a highly educated man; had gone to school twenty-five consecutive years in Germany, and knew nothing about making a living. He first tried peddling books. And ‘Mr. Cabus,’ or the ‘Dutch Preacher,’ with a leather trunk filled with books on his back (load enough for a pack mule) was a frequent visitor at the houses of the neighborhood. But the people in general were too poor to buy books, and that failed to yield him a living. He came down to absolute want, and but for the hand of charity, his family must have suffered greatly. No one came to take his place as minister to the church until Rev. Jonas Michael, a German Reformed minister, came and organized a church of that denomination.”

“The history of the Methodist Episcopal class in Indian Creek, if well written up, would make an interesting chapter not unlike romance. It was organized very early in the history of that community. A Rev. Mr. Munson was preaching at John Reeder’s, and had organized a class as early as May, 1839. After Washburn’s Schoolhouse was built, the meeting place was located there until the town of Pulaski began building, when it was permanently located there. Its history furnishes ample proof that the church is in the world if not of it. Some of the best men and women who have every lived in the township were members of that class. Two very able ministers, leading men in their sections, one of them in Kansas and the other in Iowa, were brought up as members of that class. Two men who were pastors of the class, after going to other points, were sent to the penitentiary, one for horse-stealing and the other for adultery. Another’s wife, after they had moved to Illinois, shot a neighbor woman dead, because she suspected her of criminal relations with her husband. The meetings were often interrupted by rowdies. It was nothing unusual to have horses turned loose, harness and saddles cut, etc., etc. One time, during protracted meeting at Washburn’s Schoolhouse, some rowdies got into the loft with a fiddle, and when the congregation sang, they sawed on the fiddle. Some of the early preachers were famous for lung power. One in particular could be heard distinctly in his ordinary preaching over a quarter of a mile. The people also, if occasion required, did not hesitate to make a little noise. At their protracted and camp-meetings, they were often heard praying and shouting a distance of more than a mile.”