Cambridge City Historic District

The lands at and in the vicinity of the site of Cambridge City were settled early. John Hawkins, from Kentucky, a native of South Carolina, entered, in 1813, the north-east quarter of section 27, which included the site of the old town of Vandalia; but he did not live to occupy it. The laud descended to his son, William Hawkins, who took up the fractional quarter west of it ; the two quarters embracing nearl}' all of the site of Cambridge. Simon Powell, from Kentucky, also a native of South Carolina, entered the quarter north of the present farm of General Meredith, extending to the old State road. He, too, died without settling on his purchase. His family settled on it in 1813 or 1814, the eldest son having nearly attained to manhood. Their cabin stood on the east bank of the river, south of East Cambridge. Jesse Symonds, iS'orth Carolina, bought north side of the State road, adjoining Hawkins's, but, without settling on it, sold to Josiah Draper. JSTathan Symonds, from jN". C, settled north of and adjoining Jesse's, and afterward sold to Wm. Conw^ell. These lands are now owned by John Callaway. Henry Crull settled early on the north part, and George Ish on the south part of the present farm of Gen. Solomon Meredith. They sold to Ira Lackey, who, in or about the year 1836, built the house (since enlarged) wliere Meredith now" resides. Wm. Hawkins bought, besides the lands already mentioned, the land w^here his son I^athan S. resides, near and north-west of the town. Samuel Charles, from N". C, on land east side of Hawkins's, forming a part of the tract north side of town, owned by John Callaway. A'anbuskirk, on the land now owned by Alfred B. Williams, and perhaps the lands of Henry and John Ingerman and otliers. Henry Palen, from IS". C., on land now^ owned by John

Passage source: History of Wayne County, Indiana, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time : with Numerous Biographical and Family Sketches, published 1872.

Benj. Conklin, the last merchant who left East Cambridge, removed to the building then owned by Wm. Hawkins, now occupied by Felix Conklin as a hardware store. About the year 1845, Post & Enyeart built the "Mammoth Store," and for two years carried on an extensive wholesale grocery trade. The Whitewater Yalley Canal, which was completed in 1846, contributed vastly to the trade of Cambridge City. This soon became the central point of trade of an extensive territory. It was the grand depot for the produce of the country, brought here for shipment, and for the delivery of merchandise. The merchants of Indianapolis received for a time their goods at this place. Large quantities of wheat were floured here. The present brick ilouring-mill, then newly built by Benj. Conklin, had in it, at one time, 90,000 bushels of wheat, or 5,400,000 pounds.

Passage source: History of Wayne County, Indiana, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time : with Numerous Biographical and Family Sketches, published 1872.

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 - 10,460 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.