Martinsburg, Indiana

There are a number of caves in the township, the Redfleld cave in the western jiart of the township, in section 7, being the largest. It has never been explored very far, owing to the immense volume of water that constantly flows from it. A cave on the farm of WilHam Marshall, two miles south of Martinsburg, connects Washington and Floyd counties by tunnel. It can be traversed its' entire length, which is about a quarter of a mile. There are other small caves in the township, and owing to the fact that there are numerous sink holes scattered everywhere, this township may awaken some time to find itself situated over one of the wonders of the world.

Passage source: Centennial History of Washington County, Indiana : Its People, Industies and Institutions : with Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, published 1916.

In 1807 Henry Wyman, a hardy German, came with his family from North Carolina and settled in section 4, of what is now Jackson township. It was an ideal place for a settler, being near Blue river, at the mouth of Dutch creek. The land was rich, and fish and game abundant. No Indian savages were there to molest him ; and so, being pleased with his new-found home, Henry Wym.an lived and prospered. In the year following, 1808, Leonard Karnes, also a North Carolinian, came and settled in section 2, near the present town of Martinsburg. In the same year F.phraim Goss settled in section i; Charles and Samuel Busey in section 10; John Green in section 12, and Aaron Wilcox in section 14. Daniel Bush came about 1810 and settled in section 2. In 1814 John, Lewis, and James Martin, all brothers, came from Kentucky and settled in what is now the vicinitv of Martinsburg. Steven Elrod came about the same time and settled near Henry Wyman, in section 4.

Passage source: Centennial History of Washington County, Indiana : Its People, Industies and Institutions : with Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, published 1916.

Probably the first church organization in the township was that of the United Brethren, though the exact date cannot be learned. It was prior to 1820, however, and Rev. John Hiestand, who came from Ohio and was a nei)hevv of Bishop Hiestand, one of the earliest bishops of this denomination, was the moving spirit in the organization. Meetings were held in the residences or barns of the few members until 1854, when a large brick structure was erected just outside the town of Martinsburg. The membership increased until it is now about sixty. In 1887 the brick building was torn down, and the present large frame structure erected on its site. This chiH-ch is in a sound condition and has a powerful influence for good in the community, having a membership at present of sixty-two.

Passage source: Centennial History of Washington County, Indiana : Its People, Industies and Institutions : with Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, published 1916.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Jackson Township - it names this place 11 more 11 times.