New Augusta, Indiana

Pike township lies in the northwest corner of Marion County, and is bounded on the north by Hamilton and Boone Counties, on the east by Washington township, on the south by Wayne township, and on the west by Hendricks County. The township contains forty-four sections, or twenty-eight thousaDd one hundred and sixty acres of land. Its surface is in some parts rolling, in others nearly level, and in some parts rather swampy. The buttonwood ponds were formerly numerous in some localities, but these are unknown to-day, for the industrious farmers have cleared up these places and tile-drained them, so that excellent crops are raised on these lands. The soil of the township is generally of a good quality, and well adapted to farming and stock-raising. It is watered by Eagle Creek, which enters the township on the north line, about two and one-half miles east of the northwest corner, and runs in a southwesterly course until it reaches the Wayne township line, about one and one-quarter miles east of the west line of the township. Fishback Creek enters the township near the northwest corner, and empties into Eagle Creek one-half mile below Trader's Point. The country along this stream is the most broken part of the township, and is called the hilly country of Fishback. The creek derived its name from Freeman Fishback, who was an early settler on the farm now owned by P. Beck. Some of the finest springs of the county are along this stream. Bush's Run, a small stream, heads near the north centre of the township, and empties into Eagle Creek three-quarters of a mile below Trader's Point. Little Eagle Creek, which is somewhat of a noted stream, has its source near the south line of Boone County, and it enters this township about one mile east of the centre of the north line. It runs just east of New Augusta, and empties into Big Eagle near Mount Jackson, in Wayne township. This stream is the second in size in Pike. Crooked Creek enters the township near the northeast corner, and takes a southwesterly direction until just north of Old Augusta, where it bears to the southeast, and leaves the township about onethird of a mile southeast of Old Augusta. Staton's Creek heads a little south of Old Augusta, runs in a southwesterly course, and empties into Little Eagle on or near W. H. Guion's farm. It derived its name from Joseph Staton, who was the first settler in the southeastern part of the township.

Passage source: History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana, published 1884.

Joseph Klingensmith, Samuel Rodebaugh, and Peter Anthony came to Pike township with their families (each having a wife and four children) in 1829. They were from Western Pennsylvania, and passed down the Ohio River with their families and household goods on a flat-boat to Cincinnati, where they disembarked, sold their boat, and finished their journey to this township by wagons, arriving in the early part of August in the year named. Joseph Klingensmith settled near where New Augusta Station now is, on the land now owned by Simon Klingensmith, his second son. Samuel Rodebaugh settled east and south of the centre of the township, on the land now owned by Joseph Rodebaugh. Peter Anthony settled near the centre of the township, on the farm known as the Daniel Meyers farm. Of this party of early settlers, but two who were then adults are now living, - Esther Klingensmith, who is eighty years old, and lives on the old farm, with her son Simon ; Sally, wife of Samuel Rodebaugh, is also one of the survivors, is eighty-one years old, and lives on the old farm with her youngest son, Joseph Rodebaugh.

Passage source: History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana, published 1884.

The first post-ofiSce in this township was named Piketon, and located at Adam Wright's house, on the farm now owned and occupied by Zachariah Bush, on the Lafayette road. The mail was carried on horseback from Indianapolis to Lafayette. The mail contractor was a man named Bentley, and his son Joseph carried the mail for a number of years on this route. The second postmaster in this part of the township was Christopher Hines, under whom the office was removed to the farm now occupied by P. M. Hollingsworth. Piketon post-office was continued and kept at Mr. Hines' until 1853, when an office was established on the Indianapolis and Lafayette Railroad at Augusta Station (now New Augusta), and the Piketon office and also the office at Old Augusta were discontinued. Mr. Rudicil was the first postmaster at Augusta Station. The present postmaster there is Dr. E. Purdy.

Passage source: History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana, published 1884.

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 Pike Township - it names this place 9 more 9 times.