Clinton County, Indiana - Chapter 30: Washington' Towxship, 1913

There is a flavor of antiquity about W ashington township that distinguishes it from all the other townships of the county. As has been mentioned, before Clinton county existed all of its territory, and a small strip of the north end of Boone county, were joined to Tippecanoe county from 1828 to 1830, for purposes of government. This territory was organized as Washington township, and was facetiously called Washington Territory. When the county was organized the name was retained for the township then most settled. As then established, it included all of Perry township, and the south half of Madison.

Perry was cut oft in 1834, and Madison in 1835, leaving Washington with its present boundaries of Madison and Ross townships on the north, Perry on the south, Madison township and Tippecanoe county on the west. The eastern boundary was Jackson township until Center was established in 1872; then Center alone until Union was established in 1889. It includes 29 sections of land, quite level in the southern part, and uneven in the northern part. It has good natural drainage from Wildcat Creek, Killmore Fork and their tributaries.

This township had the first settler of the county before any name was attached to the region. In 1826 William Clark made his way into the then wilderness, and put up a cabin on Section 12, just north of the town of Jefferson. He was the only settler of that year, but early in the spring of 1827, David Kilgore came with his family, and located near Clark. Four others joined the settlement in that year: Charles Asher, who located on Section 1 ; Joseph Hill, who located on Section 3; Zabina Babcock, who located on Section 1, but removed to Warren township in 1831; and John Killmore, who remained but a short time, but left his name to Killmore Fork.

In 1828 came some settlers who were leading spirits in the early days. Judge John Ross settled on the site of Jefferson, and Samuel Olinger close by;

David Young, who located on Section 6; Samuel Thompson, who located on Section i, and John and Moses Allen. It was determined to have a town forthwith, and John Ross persuaded Abner Baker, who had just opened a store in Lafayette, to come over and join the infant community. The town of Jefferson was platted April 17, 1829, by John Ross and David Kilgore, but it had been laid out before that date, and the sale of lots had begun.

Others who came in 1829 were Benjamin Abbott, who located on Section 10: John Hood and John Jacobs, in the village of Jefferson; W illiam Anderson, on Section 2; Samuel Aughe, on Section 7; John Gamble, on Section 11 ; Josiah Cooper, on Section 10; W illiam Miller, on Section 9; John Starkey, on Section 17; Janies Gilmore, on Section 5; James Stinson, on Section 17; John Benson, and Captain Bracken, on Section 10; and Taylor Heavilon. In 1830 the immigration was still larger and among those who located in the township were: Stephen Allen, Burr Braden, Joseph Heavilon. Leander Jacobs, John Jackson, Mr. McNutt. David Slipber. John Blair, Benjamin Hart, W illiam W ilson, Jacob Troup, Jesse Bryan and William Peters. Other settlers, within a year or two after, include Ellis Squire, Morris and Ira Parcel, William W'inship, Jacob Anderson. Henry Harshman. Joseph D. Suit, John Cooper and John Mattix.

Some of the notable events of the locality occurred before the organization of either the township or the county. The first marriage in the township was that of James Timmons and Miss Nichols, in 1820. The second was that of Aaron H. Southard and Rebecca Hood, in the same year. ThG marriage was solemnized by Rev. James Thompson, a Presbyterian preacher, who also conducted the first religious service in the township, in 1829, at the house of John Hood. The first marriage after the organization of the county was that of Abner Baker to Catharine W\ Hood, in August, 1 830. The first death in the township was of a sister of these two brides.

The first school in the township was taught in the winter of 1829-30 by John Devlin, of Crawfordsville, in a log cabin that was put up to be the recorder's office when Jefferson became the county seat, but that never came to pass. In 1832 Tohn P. Crothers came from Oxford, and located at Jefferson with the purpose of founding a college. He met with encouragement from enterprising citizens, and a two-story building was erected for the school. The effort was too pretentious, however, for the support that could be given by the community, and the school was discontinued : but there were later efforts at higher-education at Jefferson, as mentioned elsewhere. Among those who taught earlv common schools at Jefferson were Jeremiah Smith, and Miss Jennings.

In addition to the meetings of the Presbyterians, at John Hood's, the Methodists held a meeting in 1829 at the house of Charles J. Hand, and Rev. John Strain preached. The United Brethren were the next to hold meetings, and the first to build a church in the township, which was erected in Jefferson in 1835. The next church was built by the Presbyterians; the third by the New Lights, and the fourth by the Methodists.

But the most important of the events of the days of "W ashington Territory" was the location of Abner Baker and Aaron Southard's store at the proposed town. Having decided on the location, Mr. Baker bought a lot at the corner of W ashington and Main streets for $5 and the lot adjoining for the same price. These purchasers, made of David Kilgore, were probablv inducements to the location, as he paid Samuel Olinger $25 for a lot not so desirable. He then hired a man named Murden to put up a log building on his corner lot, paying $10 for the building complete, without a door. The firm then moved in. and this was the only store in the county for several months. A few years later a second store house was erected by Mr. Baker, at an «'xpense of $19.

The store made a trade center, convenient for the adjacent country, and it was on the one road then traveled between Indianapolis and Lafayette. Over this the daily stage carried the mail, and in 1829 Jefferson was made a postoffice, with Robert Watts as the first postmaster. A tavern was desirable and John Ross opened one. This was soon followed by another conducted by Samuel Olinger, and these two seeming insufficient, Charles J. Hand started a third. This did not last long, however, and Hand removed to Frankfort.

When the township was created, on May 15, 1830, an election was ordered to be held at the house of John Ross, for which John Benson was appointed inspector. Zabina Babcock, who lived in the township, had been elected a justice in 1829, under the jurisdiction of Tippecanoe county, and under the law he served for five years. Hence at this election in 1830 only one justice was chosen in this township, and the choice made was Samuel Olinger. After Squire Babcock moved to Warren township, in 1831, Abner Baker was elected justice of the peace, and served for a number of years. It may be mentioned here that Abner Baker introduced the newspaper to Clinton county. He was from the first a subscriber to that good old Whig authoritv, The Liberty Hall and Cincinnati Gazette.

Baker had some Indians among his customers, and it is sometimes stated that there was an Indian village not far from Jefferson. Certainly there was no permanent village in that vicinity, and what is probably meant is a camping place, at which parties from the Big Miami Reserve, or the Thorntown Reserve were accustomed to stop. Such places were common, and in those days Indians were not confined to reservations - the reserves were simply excluded from white settlement.

Washington is a strong agricultural township. In 1912 it reported 18,092 acres in farms, of which 3,284 were pasture, 1,568 timber and 97 orchard. Of wheat there were 2,280 acres, with a product of 27,459 bushels; of corn, 5,218 acres, with a product of 249,300 bushels; of oats, 3,798 acres, with a product of 207,800 bushels; of timothy, 708 acres, with a product of 751 tons; of clover, 1,354 acres, with a product of 665 tons of hay and 627 bushels of seed. There were 77 horses sold, leaving 747, valued at $95,800. There were 605 cattle sold, leaving 1,078, valued at $42,030. There were 50 sheep sold, leaving 200, valued at $1,000. There were 800 dozens of poultry sold, valued at $6,400. There were 1,200 dozens of laying hens, with a product of 90,000 dozens of eggs, valued at $18,000. There were 419 cows milked, with a product of 168,100 gallons of milk, and 83,400 pounds of butter.

The growth of the township was most notable in the early period. It reached 1,024 in 1850; 1,140 in i860: 1,134 in 1870; 1.228 in 1880. Jefferson was struck a hard blow when the county seat went to Frankfort, and another when the railroad went to Colfax. In 1833 Jefferson was described as a village of 50 inhabitants; in 1850 of 200 inhabitants; in i860 of 400 inhabitants. In 1886 it was estimated at 250. In the beginning it was quite an important trade center, but this passed away with competition. It has one railroad - the Clover Leaf - but it came too late to make the town. This road crosses the township from east to west, and in the southwest corner of the township has sprung up the station of Fickle, which preserves the name of Isaac Fickle, one of the early settlers of the township.

Vesta Lodge, No. 136, A. F. and A. M., was chartered at Jefferson May 27, 1852. It now has 68 members. John H. Thompson is Worshipful Master, and J. W. Stafford, Secretary.

The United Brethren maintain their church at Jefferson, at which Rev. I. Imler, of Frankfort, officiates. The Presbyterian church at Jefferson has been dissolved for some time.