Hendricks County, Indiana - Chapter 23: Miscellaneous, 1914

Chapter 23: Miscellaneous

Hendricks county is one of the richest agricultural counties in the state. In addition to this, there is a large amount of stock raising done in the county. The presence of valuable grazing land in all of the townships is accountable for this. The tilling of the soil, with its kindred vocations, however, is the greatest industry in Hendricks.

The county has an area of four hundred and eighty square miles or three hundred seven thousand two hundred acres. Very nearly two-thirds of the population live in the country. The farmers own about nine-tenths of the taxable property. The soil of the county is well adapted to cereals, especially corn, wheat and oats. The leading cereal grown is corn, a yield of one hundred bushels per acre being not uncommon. The average to the acre, however, is about forty bushels and aggregates about two million Imshels per annum.

Wheat comes next to corn, with an average of fifteen bushels to the acre. In an ordinary wheat year the county produces about four hundred and fifty thousand bushels. Oats is not raised as extensively as corn and wheat, but is considered a profitable crop for feeding purposes. Over four hundred and fifty thousand bushels are produced each year, being worth in the neighobrhood of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. There are about forty thousand tons of hay put in the mows annually, and scarcely a day passes but that you may see several loads on the way to the Indianapolis markets. Most of the hay is timothy. Clover is raised in abundance for seed and for its fertilizing c|ualities and is considered one of the most profitable crops in the county.

Every farm in the county has some kind of fence around it and most of the fences are in good condition. Quite a number of the old rail fences are yet to be seen, some board, hedge, picket, barbed wire, but chiefly woven wire

The county has many fine herds of Hereford, Shorthorn, Jersey and Guernsey cattle. Thousands of stock cattle are bought at the stock yards and fed on the pasture land. These pasture lands are mostly bluegrass, but little inferior to the bluegrass regions of Kentucky. Hogs and sheep are raised extensively and are a very profitable part of present-day farming. Poultry is also raised extensively and there is scarcely a farm but has chickens, geese and ducks.

The finest and most expensive homes in the country have been constructed by the farmers. Many of them have been equipped with all modern improvements and conveniences.

The progress of the good roads movement in Hendricks county during the past few years has been truly remarkable. It is a fact that during the year 1910 there were only two and eight-tenths miles of gravel road constructed under the law for improving highways in the county. It was at this point that the improvement of highways began. By the }'ear 19 12 there was a total of two hundred and forty-seven miles of gravel road in the county. Today there is about five hundred miles of improved, gravel and macadam road in the county. The expenditures for road viewing and surveying in 19 11 was $63.10; for bridges, $41,895.49. The township gravel road bonds outstanding in 191 1 amounted to $294,587.91.

Statistics

The total population of Hendricks county is 20,840 people, male, white, 10,533: female, white, 10,002; colored, male, 225; colored, female, 76; Indians, Japanese and others, 4; foreign-born, white, 172; number of dwellings, 5,204; number of families, 5,262.

To give some idea of the court business for a year, the following is given for 1910: Number of cases filed, 200; disposed of, 201; venued to .her counties, 7; venued from other counties, 15; children's cases in juvenile court, 2; letters of administration issued, 48; guardianships issued, 19; decrees of foreclosures entered, 3 ; sheriff's sales, 22 ; adjudged of unsound mind, 9; marriage licenses issued, 140.

Early Purchases

An old book in which the general store accounts were kept in an early day gives many items of curious interest. It is recorded that on June 7, 1836, Abbird Thompson bought "i caster hat" and "i hymn book" for thirty-five cents. Another is that Mrs. Stephen Stephenson bought in 1836 "5 yards of calico" for $1.56^. John Scott bought "1/ pound of powder" for twelve and a half cents, and "one-half dozen flints" for six and one-fourth cents. Jesse Baker bought ">^ gallon of whiskey" for 37^ cents and John Collins bought "i comic almanac" for twelve cents.

In the month of February, 1903, the children from the Orphans' Home were transferred to other homes. The girls were taken from here to the Fort Wayne Home for Girls and the boys were taken to White Institute in charge of the Friends in Wabash county. Some other boys were taken to Brightside, near Plymouth, Indiana.

Game Preserves

There are three game preserves in Hendricks county stocked with various kinds of imported pheasants. The first lies in the southwest corner of Guilford township and extends into Marion county. It contains fourteen thousand acres, sixty per cent, of which is in Hendricks. One-fourth of it is timberland, mostly level, some of it rolling, with ravines and gulleys. Flowing through it from north to south is Clark creek.

of Danville. It contains sixty-five hundred acres of land, one-fifth of which is in timber, with much copse and underbrush. x\ small per cent, of the lands are hilly. Most of them are level, but some of them rolling. White Lick creek, with its tributaries, supply it with water.

The third preserve lies south of the center of the county, in Clay and I'Vanklin townships. It contains sixty-two hundred acres, one-fifth of which is in woodland, with much copse and underbrush. The lands are rather level. The east and middle branches of Mill creek supply the water. Neither has yet proved successful, chiefly on account of hawks.

The first interurban car ran into Danville at 11:05 a. m., August 30, 1906, over the Indianapolis and Western, now a division oi the Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern.

On July 4, 1907, the Brazil division of the Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern was opened to Terre Haute and in the same year the Ben-Hur line was opened from Indianapolis to Crawfordsville, passing through Brownsburg, Lizton and Pittsljoro.