Crawford County, Indiana - Chapter 9: Roaring Fifties, 1926

Pilot Knob is one of the highest points of land in the state. A postoffice was established there in 1850 and John C. Morris was the first postmaster.

With the coming of the fifties and the new school laws saw a decline in the seminary interest. In March of 1847 the trustees met and organized by electing Elam Wiley president and Sam Pepper clerk. They did not have sufficient funds to hire a trustee or a teacher. They had received for rent $14.50 and $12.15 more was due.

The inspector was Alfred Williams; judges, Ben Yates and Talbert Yates; clerks, Ansel Dexter and Silas Yates. The election occurred at Thomas Robinson's house. There were 29 votes to sell the land and a few against the sale. So the sale carried.

The new constitution went into effect during this period. Sam Pepper, who represented Crawford County in the convention, did what he could to help make a good constitution.

The eleetion of 1852 was a rather quiet affair in Crawford County. The Democrats had a ticket in the field, the Whigs had a ticket, too. Scott for President received 502 votes and Pierce received 499. English for Congress received 517 votes and Ferguson, the Whig candidate, received 538. W. A. Jackson was elected clerk, Samuel Highfill was elected surveyor, and James Lemonds was elected county auditor.

The flatboat trade in the fifties was at its best. Great cargoes of lime, corn, whisky, meat, and many other articles were shipped south from Leavenworth. Life on the flathoat had its dangers. The boats were often robbed. The following article was taken from the New Albany Tribune October 30, 1852: ''We are indebted to Captain Vansickle for the account of the murder near Troy, Perry County, Indiana, while in the flatboat trade. The boat which had been sunk in five feet of water, had been deserted many hours. It was a large boat about 95 feet long and loaded with whisky and flour, besides groceries. The boat was named Eliza No. 2. The boat, which presented a ghastly sight, was marked with blood from one end to the other. Bodies of two men were found in the boat, while the third body was found in the water. The one in the water had weights tied to it. The men must have been killed with a hatchet because one was found on the boat all covered with blood. Their skulls had been crushed in by heavy blows, while many minor wounds were found on the bodies. From the appearance one is led to believe that the erew mutinied, part killing the rest, and then robbing the boat of what they could get away with.'' sounds coming from the boat. On investigation they found Jenkins in a dying condition. Money was scattered all over the floor. Harve Gibbs and Marsh Land were accused of the foul deed but the matter could not be proved. Gibbs was in jail a long time but was finally released. Calwell came back from New Orleans and told the news. The corpse was brought back and buried. John Archibald and Rensselaer Peabody had gone on his bond. The business trip failed. The bondsmen lost heavily. Archibald secured a farm down near Alton which he sold to Marion Archibald. Gibbs and Land never mixed in society any more.

The Methodist church at Leavenworth had been established. J. T. Lauden Hynes on April 22, 1886, furnished the following: ''The history of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Leavenworth must rely upon the testimony of its old members for facts. One of the oldest members was Rebecca Kendall. Her name heads the list. She united with the church while Aaron Woods was the presiding elder and Brother Jones was the pastor of a large circuit, one point of which was at Leavenworth. The trustees were Samuel Scott and Jacob Sauerheber. The old church, which was washed away by high water, in 1884, was built in 1853. The water stood eight feet deep on the spot where the church was. The one now standing was built in 1886. The cornerstone was laid at four o'clock on April -22, 1886.'' The Methodist pastor for the year of 1852 was Elias Gaskins.

During the fifties, when Andrew Rothrock was a small boy, he discovered the Auger Hole to the new cave at Wyandotte. This wonderful cave is located on Big Blue

River about six miles from Leavenworth. Doctor Adams, who manufactured saltpeter there in old Salt Peter, held the land in 1812 during the war with England. H. P. Rothrock bought the land on which the cave is located. At first the cave was known as Salt Peter Cave. Laws were enacted to compel the owner to fence the cave so that cattle could not lick the salt. After the discovery of the Auger Hole in 1850, one finds that the county board of review had raised the assessment on Rothrock's land $500 on account of the discovery of the cave.

The Auger Hole had to be broken away before one could enter it. Just beyond the entrance when it was first opened the men found foot prints. The tracks showed that one large man, two smaller men, or women and three children had walked over the plastic clay. The estimation showed that the tracks were about one thousand years old. Just who made the tracks will never be known. In the wild deluge at the end of the route which is two miles long one finds pieces of wood, piles of ashes and other articles. This material must have been carried over two miles of tortuous climbing. Knowing how lazy the Indians were, one naturally wonders whether they were the ones who did so much hard work to carry that wood into the cave and for what purposes the fires were made so long ago.

The river traffic in the fifties was at its height. The best boats were on the Ohio then. There were The Ohio State, Sultana, Shotwell, The Redstone, Belle Key, Ben Franklin, and the Eclipse. These boats ran on a regular schedule from Cincinnati to New Orleans. When General Scott was on his way to Mexico he passed Leavenworth on the Black Hawk. At Peckinpaugh's wood-yard near Cape Sandy the captain took a crowd of the boys to the cabin and state rooms to see Scott. He was very courteous and stood up for the boys to see him. These beats were occasionally carrying up cholera from the South.

The October election was held in Crawford County in 1858 at these places: Leavenworth, William Mansfield, inspector; Milltown, John Bates, inspector; Big Springs, J. H. Lambdin, inspector; English, Sam Longest, inspector; Patoka township, Jesse McWilliams, inspector; Union, J. M. McDonald, inspector; Ohio, S. M. Johnson; Boone, R. R. Lees, inspector. These officers were elected in the county: Recorder, Joseph E. Allen; county treasurer,

Another attempt was made in 1858 to change a piece of Perry County to Crawford County. Joseph Carmickle and forty others desired the territory in Perry County beginning at the range line and taking in a certain quantity just south of Johnson township at the southeast corner of section 31 in town 3 south, range 2 west; thence northeast to corner of section 13 in town 3 south, range 2 west; thence west to line dividing range 2 and 3; thence south to the southwest corner of section 31, in town 3 south, range 2 west. The description is not well stated here. The people of Perry County in most cases objected to these transfers.

One finds that Isaac Crecelius bought the northwest one-fourth of the northwest one-fourth of section 16 in township 2 south, range 2 west, fora farm. He paid $12.50 down and the rest in ten years at 7 per cent. This was about the last school land sold in Crawford County.

The county commissioners appointed these men as school examiners in 1859: John McCollister, William Highfield and Joseph Sanders. J. S. Kelson was also appointed county doctor.

These township trustees were elected in 1858: Jennings, Zebulum Leavenworth, bond, Z. Leavenworth, R. D. Tucker, J. Il. Thornton; Ohio, Dan Collingwood, bond, Dan Collingwood, John Collingwood and Richard Whiteman; Liberty, A. P. Trotter, bond, A. P. Trotter, John Vance, Andrew Bailey, Tom Vance, Robert Blackburn; Union, E. F. Roberson, bond, EH. F. Roberson and Thomas Roberson; Boone, H. B. Meylin, bond, H. B. Meylin; Pa-

The Presbyterian people were on the ground early in Crawford County. The members met at the house of Elijah Sands, who was clerk of the election, to choose three trustees for the Presbyterian church on June 7, 1849. Another election was held at the home of G. K. and C. N. Miller. Reuben D. Tucker, William Ellsworth and Joseph Thornton were elected June 8, 1849. Later a new house was built which stands near the old court house.

On December 8, 1858, Harrison Kendall, with seventythree others, whose names were on a petition, appeared before the board of county commissioners and begged that the part of Scott township beginning at the mouth of Big Indian Creek, thence up said creek to the line dividing ranges two and three, thence north with said range line to Big Blue River, thence up Big Blue to line dividing sections 138 and 14, thence north to Blue River. The board ordered the land joined to Crawford County, but the matter was taken to court at Corydon. Zebulum Leavenworth was very influential in getting this done. He hired Walter Q. Gresham and Harrison County engaged Attorney Wolf. The matter came up in court at Corydon and the judge was about to decide in favor of Leavenworth when Attorney Wolf told the judge that he would like to see him privately before he made his decision. Zebulum never knew just what Wolf said but he thought Wolf said that Scott township being heavily Democratic if given to Crawford County would cause Harrison to go Republican, or would endanger the Democratic majority in Harrison County. Whatever was said had its influence for the judge decided that such a procedure would be unconstitutional. Mr. Leavenworth could have appealed the case to the State Supreme Court for $50, but not one of his fellow townsmen would give a dollar to defray the cost of the appeal. A few months after that a similar case went to the Supreme Court of Indiana. The Court decided that the county commissioners, when a majority of the people in one township wished to be transferred from one county to another, had the right to make such a transfer. If this piece of territory had been given to Crawford County it would have held the county seat at Leavenworth. Thus English would not have won the county seat in 1896.

The new court house at Leavenworth was rather expensive at times. On March 9, 1859, Orville Smith was allowed $2.74 for painting the dome of the county jail. Men escaped from jail frequently. The New Albany Daily Tribune for July 29, 1851, has this statement: '""Charles D. Seeds and John Avers escaped from the Leavenworth jail last night. They had been accused of trying to pass counterfeit money. The sheriff had offered $100 reward for their arrest.''

At a special meeting of the board of county commissioners held at the court house in Leavenworth on June 28, 1873, the board ordered @ new house to be constructed for the inmates of the county farm. The house, which was to be completed by December 3, 1873, was to be paid for when the board of commissioners was satisfied that the house had been constructed according to plans and specifications here submitted. Two-thirds cash and the balance on June 7, 1874. The specifications called for were: One lower hall, ten feet by eighteen feet; sitting room, sixteen feet by eighteen feet; two bed rooms, nine feet by nine feet; dining-room, twelve feet by eighteen feet; kitchen, thirteen feet by eighteen feet; pantry, four feet by nine feet; upper hall, fourteen feet by eighteen feet; two bed rooms, twelve and one-half feet by eighteen feet; six bed rooms, ten feet by twelve feet. The house, which was to be a frame, was sixty feet front and forty-eight feet wide. The specifications also stated the size of the sills and rafters, the sleepers and the joists as well as the doors and the windows. The house was to be built of poplar and oak lumber.

The board of county commissioners advertised for bids in the Crawford County Democrat for six continuous weeks until the board of commissioners met at the court house on August 16, 1873, and opened the bids. The notice to the contractors may be found on page 136 of book 6. No bids were to be received after 7 0'clock of the day on which the board met.

When the board met and opened the bids, they found that these parties had made bids: R. F. Williams, $2,224.60; William S. Houghton, $1,850.00; G. W. Lynch, $1,850.00; William T. Washer, $2,245.00; E. U. Patrick, $1,595.00; William Farquair, $1,850; James W. Riley, $1,569.95; James W. Riley being the lowest and best bid is therefore awarded the contract when he, James W. Riley, has executed a bond to the amount of $3,000 that he will faithfully perform his duties. Jacob Tucker, Logan Miller and John Archibald were county commissioners.

Mr. Riley appeared before the board of commissioners in September, 1873, and filed his bond for $3,000 for the faithful performances of his duties. Isaiah Henry, John R. Land and J. L. Temple were on his bond.

The auditor was authorized on September 2, 1873, to issue warrants to James W. Riley as follows: On September 3, 1873, $500; on October 1, 1873, $150; on November 1, 1873, $150; and to await further orders of the board of commissioners.

On December 4, 1874, the board of commissioners engaged John D. Shaffer to superintend the poor farm for a term of two years. Mr. Shaffer was to be paid the sum of $1.65 a week for each and every inmate he boarded except children under the age of 18: months. These he was to keep for a reasonable allowance, no charge being made for board. Mr. Shaffer agreed to pay the county $55 a year for the rent of the poor farm and take good eare of the buildings. The paupers who were able to work were to make the clothes for the inmates, the material being furnished by the county. He must treat them humanely but can require them to work when they are well. No timber must be destroyed on the farm.