Vigo County, Indiana - Chapter 27: Towns and Villages, 1891

SMYRNA. - One of the oldest outlying villages was Smyrna, appropriately named for one of the oldest towns in the world, and about whose casements it is probable the bats and owls beat their wings when the slaves were chipping the rocks to build the pyramids - the pyramid renaissance , so to speak. This particular Smyrna in Yigo county was laid out in 1818 by Caleb Arnold. It was where Honey creek empties into the Wabash river. People set¬ tled there and commenced to build a town. The "shakes" took a few turns, and its ruins were "shuck" out of existence.

Greenfield was platted and laid out in March, 1819, by Otis Jones, Henry French, Amos P. Balch and Jeremiah Raymond. It was exactly square, and had a public square in the center. It is long since but a memory of the good old times of the " fever- 'nager." It was more appropriately a shaker-town, not a religious kind of shaking, but the quality that needs " boneset " tea, quinine, etc. It has long since been simply a "green field." The old de¬ serted cabins were more than a generation ago either hauled off or have rotted down.

Brownsville was platted in 1836 by Johnson Clarke. It started life with great expectations, but that was about as far as it ever got. It was in Section 35, Township 11, Range 8.

Atherton was laid out and platted October 7, 1871. It is on Section 1, Township 13, Range 9, in the northeast corner of the northwest quarter. The plat is signed by Newton Rogers, Sarah A. Denny and Mary J. Rogers. The line of the north part of the plat is the county line, dividing Yigo and Parke counties. It is a station on the E.,T. H. & C. R. R. It has two streets running parallel with

Centerville (post-office name Lewis) was laid out September 9, 1838, in Section 36, Township 10 north, Range 8 west, by Addison Williams. It is in Pierson township, and in the southeast corner of the county, and on the county line, on Sections 35 and 36. It is on the Centerville wragon road. It gets its mails by pony express. One would hardly think, looking at it, that it was big enough for two names. The place is Lewisburg, but to get a letter there you must direct to "Lewis." Joseph Stutman made the first improve¬ ment - a tannery. In 1842 Charles Stewart built the first house - log; then the Buskirks opened a cabinet shop, and John B. Smith a blacksmith shop. A log school-house was the only public meet¬ ing place for many years. Dodson <fc Jenkins opened a store in 1844. It reached its greatest importance in the canal days. Popu¬ lation, 125.

Soonover lies northwest of Centerville (Lewis) on the same wagon road, about two and a half miles. This is merely a post-office and little store.

Harrison was platted August 4, 1837, on Section 33, Township 13, Range 9, by Ann Potts. This was on the west side of the river from old Fort Harrison. Never became more than a paper town. Even Lincoln's resolution about "the particular spot" would have some difficulty in finding it now.

Lockport (Riley P. O.) was platted November 23, 1836, by Nathaniel Donham; post-office name is Riley. The place is nine miles southeast of Terre Haute, on the Evansville & Indianapolis Railroad. This is the largest village in the county. Its name indi¬ cates it was to be a canal town. During the actual building of the canal this was an important business point. At times the town has had important manufacturing interests - mills, saw-mills, tan¬ nery, etc., but all were burned at different times. It has remained a noted grain market; population, 266.

Middletown (Prairie Creek P. O.), laid off August 24, 1831, by James D. Piety, on Sections 26 and 27, 10-10, is sixteen miles south of Terre Haute, on the old Vincennes road. The near¬ est railroad station is six and one-half miles. The post-office name is Prairie Creek. Daniel Ryerson opened the first hotel in a log house, where he kept a drug store - happy combination of feed and physic. Jonas P. Lykins made the second improvement, a frame; here he opened a store. Z. J. Hunt opened a hotel ; in it was the old stage stand, many years. Hiram Higlit built a steam-mill in

Pimento (formerly Hartford) is a station on the Evansville & Terre Haute Railroad; is the shipping and business point of Lin¬ ton and the most of Pierson townships, is quite a little business place. The name was changed when it became a railroad station. It was laid out in 1852 by Israel French. Thomas French made the first location in the place, and put up a store. The next year came Harvey Weeks, and he became a partner in the store. N. B. Bennett began his drug store in 1865, and then a grocery store. A large flouring-mill was erected in 1877. A tavern, large dry goods store, and blacksmith shop soon followed. A town-house was erected in 1858, and the lower part used as a school-house. The little village has lost in business and population of recent years.

Macksville, platted by Samuel McQuilkin, November 22, 1836, on Section 19, Town 12, Range 9, was named by taking a part of the proprietor's name. The first building was put up in what became the town, in 1833, and in 1834 McQuilkin opened a store. It was made a place by the forces working on the National road. It now has a population of 240. John Griggs and his son, Edward, put up a flouring-mill in 1867, which was burned in 1870. It is merely a suburb of Terre Haute, separated by the river and the strip of low land on the west side thereof.

Bloomtown was platted and laid out in 1858, by Hiram Bloom. It is six miles west of Terre Haute, on the old Paris road, a short distance north of the Van road. It once had a saw-mill and a grist¬ mill. They were both destroyed by fire, and the place has gone into innocuous desuetude. When the -Vandalia Railroad was built, there was nothing for this place to do, but move down, and it did move, and Nelson was started into existence. It is a station on the Van road, a post-office, and is situated on the State line dividing Indiana and Illinois.

New Goshen was platted and laid out May 17, 1853, in Section 7, Town 13, Range 9, by Hamilton Smith, William Ferguson, George Smith and John Hay; population 180.

Seelyville is a post-office and station on the Van road, in Lost Creek township, east of Terre Haute nine miles. The place came into existence by the opening of a coal bank, one of the earliest oper¬ ated in the county - the McKeen coal shaft. After passing through several hands, the mines closed operations in 1879. The town was laid out by J. Seeley. H. C. Dickerson opened the first store here in 1878, and about this time a post-office was established.

Prairieton , laid out July 22, 1837, iu Section 25, Town 11, Range 10, by Robert Hoggatt; is in Prairieton Township, and on Honey Creek and the old Vincennes wagon road. For years this place was known as " Hoggatt' s store." It became incorporated as a town in 1870. Moses Hoggatt, and after him his son Robert, were the first storekeepers. It has a population of about 250. The Quakers were the predominating influence in this prairie in the pioneer days; population, 236.

Glendale (Glenn P. O. ) is in Lost Creek township, a flag sta¬ tion on the Van road, where it crosses the National road. It is sit¬ uated nearly one mile southwest of Seely ville ; post-office was es¬ tablished March 10, 1887 - a post-office, store and hotel, all in one.

Youngstown, subdivided and made a village March 31, 1868, on Section 26, Township 11, Range 9, by Cliauncey R. Carr. Ten or twelve houses are all there is of it. It is in Honey Creek township, and is a station on the E. & T. H. R. R., about seven miles south of Terre Haute. George Planett built the first business house in 1868, when he was made the first postmaster. Population, 39.

Tecumseh is merely a post-office. It was once known as Durkee's ferry, on the Wabash, and in Fayette township. At one time in its history there was considerable business done here - a small hamlet of five or six houses.

St. Mary's is a station near the school, on the I. & St. L. R. R. It is hardly more than a station and a cluster of houses as supply for the Catholic school and church. Population, 200.

Ellsworth (Edwards P. O. ) is a station on the C. & E. I. R. R., six miles northeast of Terre Haute, in Otter Creek township. The straw board factory is located here. When this is in full operation it employs 125, and gives an excellent market for the farmers' straw. The population consists of the factory employes.

Otter Creek Junction is at the railroad crossing, on the same line of Ellsworth, and about a mile and a half northeast of that place. Only a flag station.

Heckland is a station and post-office on the L. & T. H. R. R. in Otter Creek township, and about twelve miles northeast of Terre Haute, nearly a mile south of the north line of the county.

Markle s Station is on the I. & St. L. R. R., in Lost Creek town¬ ship, and about seven miles from Terre Haute, northeast. No postoffice. Flag station.

Coal Blvff. - This place grew to be a hamlet in consequence of Webster's coal mine, one of the first in the county being opened. Webster sold to the Coal Bluff Mining Company, and hence the name of the place. It is exclusively a mining town. Has a postoffice and railroad station, on the I. & St. L. B. R. Population, 176.

Fonianei (formerly Fountain Station), on the I. & St. L. R. R., nearly two miles west of Coal Bluff, is an important mining town, worked and operated by the Coal Bluff Mining Company. Has a post-office, and is an important railroad station. Over 300 miners live here. The mining company has a large general store. Full accounts of these mines are given under the head "coal" in a pre¬ ceding page.

Sandford, a post-office and brisk village on the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, and at the State line between Illinois and In¬ diana, was made an important business point by the building of the railroad. It had its commencement in 1854; population, 250.