Pipe Creek Township (part 2 of 2)

The surface is low aned level, gently undulating along its water courses. The soil is « bluck loam, of great depth and is very fertile. The land is well adapted to agriculture as is attested cach year by the abundant crops of corn, wheat, oats and grass. All the fruits indigenous to northern Indiana are cultivated.

The timber which originally covered the entire surface of the country consisted of the usual varictios - black walnut, popular, beech, maple and oak being the most important. I[t was then thought that ground where black walnut would grow was dry enough. on which to raise corn.

Deer creek and South Deer erveek, its main branch. and their tributaries furnish ample water and drainage for the entire township. These creeks not more than twenty years ago literally swarmed with fish as did all the rivers and creeks of the country. One could sit on an old drift, or at the fishing hole by the old black stumps and catch fine large goggle-eyes till it would seem that there was no end to the fish in that hole. The sandy shoals' were alive with the long and slender silver-sides floating listlessly on the sparkling waters. And there too were schools of sun-fish with their colored sides sporting with it> : listening sun beams. What sport it used tu be to stand at the foot of some riffle on a little bayou and eateh chubs by the hour, just to see how many one could catch! But what pleasure to pull in a large five pound bass and see him tug avd pull and then imagine him nicely cooked in a large dish on the dinner table! The old catfish hole was not far off and there the Sir Isaac Waltons would go some dark night and set the old drift afire and about the middle of the night would return home with such a quantity of fish as to perfectly astonish the old lady and the girls. Such was then fisherman's luck with tne hook and line, and frequently large parties would go seining and try to catch all in the creek or river at one time. 'The sein and the gig have played havoc with the finny tribe and now one will sit on a wet rock all day and feel somewhat gratified with even a good bite.

At an early day otter, beaver and muskrats could be seen on every drift, basking in the sun. They too have entirely disappeared, with the exception of a few muskrats.

Deer Creek and its tributaries were the great hunting ground of the Miamis. Every fall a great number would go south to Deer Creek, taking their squaw, their tent, their dog and gun, which was usually all an Indian possessed, and there they would remain three or four weeks. Deer roamed in great droves along the margin of this creek and hence its name.

Deers And Deer Hunters

Civilization is an embarrassment to old hunters and they moved farther west as the permanent settlers poured in. There are a few left who were not hunters by profession, yet can tell 'sa heap of large stories." Asher Crockett, who claims relationship to the renowned Davy Crockett, came to Carroll county in 1830 when the woods were alive with game. He is of a jovial nature and will sit by a huge winter fire, eat pop corn and apples, crack hickory nuts and tell bunting stories by the hour. Chas. L. Brown, living in an elegant residence near Bennetts, spent some of his early days hunting. Even now his eyes will dilate when relating one of his stories. 'A friend and I were down on the creek hunting deer. All at once we heard the tinkle of a bell. The next moment two deer came rushing by. We whistled and they stopped. We both shot, killing one deer. The next moment two Indians on ponies darted to the spot. About all the Indians had balls on their ponies. The bells did not scare the deer and they could get much closer to them on ponies. They stopped, looked very fierce, and shook theirheads. 'Then they jerked out their long knives, waved them over their heads and talked fiercely to each other but said nothing we could understand. I was scared so that I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure I would ever see home again. My friend whispered '-Let's load."" We were loaded in a moment and we never took our eyes off those Indians. They had not taken their guns from :their shoulders. If they had made a move to do so there would have been two Indians less. But they galloped away with a whoop and my friend and I took the deer home."

Lewis Vandevender, one of the earliest settlers in the southern part of the county was quite a hunter. In his old age he would often tell a deer story to illustrate how bad he was when a young man. One Sunday he was ous hunting. He took after a deer and after a long chase ran it by-a meeting house. The preacher was: expounding the good old way. The church was crowded. As Vandevender went by the church in pursuit of the apes he set up a terrible yell and the congregation rushed out, many joining in the chase. Brother Jones was aroused from his sleep and he went PuEEO ask what had happened. It is not repocted whether the preacher finished his sermon or the

Benjamin and Abraham Hershberger, two brothers, came here at avery early date. They were both good marksmen and were rivals with the gun. In twelve months Abraham killed twenty-nine deer and Benjamin thirty-five. The latter killed altogether along the shores of Deer Creek one hundred and thirty-five deer.

Joseph Oldham, who is now past eighty, is oue of the oldest residents of northern Indiana now living. When he with his father came to Miami county in 1827 there were certaialy not more than a dozen white men here. Their only means of subsistence was by hunting. He has killed many a deer, beside other large game. But all the large game disappeared along Deer Creek as the flood of emigrants poured in to take possession of the Canaan. And well it may be said:

Where once was heavy timber and tangled underbrush, now are well built roads, school houses and*churches; where the hut once stood, now are. brick mansions; where was once the brush, now are the orchards and fields of growing grain.

Charles L. Brown, a prominent farmer of the township and a pioneer, gave much of his tim when he first cams here to hunting and was familiar with the forest and knew all about the Iadians of Shapendocia village, which was locate] at tha extram3 southern part of the presznt limits of Deer Creek township. Shapandosia was ths chief. In 1846 the village contained-sever al log huts and quite a number of bark wigwams. In this camp was another Francis Slocum. When Mr. Brown first saw her she was a woman of about fifty. with light hair and blue eyes. When a little girl she was stolen by the Indians. She had been treated kindly, as most white captives in the time of peace were. They taught her to ride and shoot, relieved her of the drudgery to which her s3x was accustomed, and received her word as law. But nothing more was known of her captivity. She was the wife of an Indian and went West with them in 1847.

One time when Mr. Brown was in the Indian camp the red men brought insome muskrats. 'They skinned and took their entrails out, and without washing them hung them over the fire. The blood ran down them and oozed through their nostrils. When cooked their flesh was torn and devoured.

Asher Crockett and a friend while out hunting one day went to the Indian camp and ordered dinner. A pet pig that had been wollowing in the mud was running about the tent. While the squaw was cutting the meat for dinner the pig intruded and she drove it away by slapping it on the sides with the blade of the knife, and then went on cutting meat. Crockett and his friend

'The first recorded settlement within the present boundaries of Deer Creek was made about the year 1844 by Richard Miller, Thomas Pearson and

David Hoffman. Mr. Miller made an improvement about one mile west of Miami, and was perhaps the first permanent settler of the township. He was a true type of the pioneer, spent much of his time in hunting the game in which the country at that time abounded and was an honored resident of the County for many years.

"Thomas Pearson made a home two miles west of Miami Village, and early earned the reputation of a good and substantial citizen. Hoffman settled near the northwest corner of the township, in the vicinty of Bunker Hill and was one of the leading citizens of the township for a number of years.

'In 1845 a number of settlers came to the township; but it will be impossible to name them in the order of their arrival. One James McCrary, a transient settler, located near the northern boundary early in the above year, and about the same time Eli Oliver and James Davis selected homes; the former on the Haggerty farm and the latter on the Coulter land. Richard Webster came early in thé year and settied in the central part of the township and with him came his brother-in-law, 'Thomas Lewis, who located near Miami. Others of 1846 were David Armstrong in tae vicinity of Miami; Jesse Julian in the western part of the township; D. C. Jenkins, W. Garrett, Joseph McConnell and William McConnell, near the western boundary; William.Mahon in the eastern part of the township; Allen Busby on land adjoining the Herrell farm and James Adamson near the southwest corner. Promiaenat among the arrivals of 1840 was Austin Herrell, who had previously made a settlement in the north part of Richland Township. Oliver Sandifur came in 1846 and is still living where he originally settled, a short distance west of the village of Miami. Isaac Herrell, brother of Austin Herrell and proprietor of Miami. located on the town site in 1846 and others of the same year were Sylvester Tumlin, in the northeast corner of the township; Joha Hicks near Miami; Fra - zee Swivford, J. D. Larimer, William and George Swinford, near the Howard County line. The years 1847 and 1848 witnessed the arrival of a number of substantial settlers among whom were Sampson Reed near Miami; William Balinger in the southwest corner of the township; Thomas Caster, Christian Caster, Samuel Truax and Corneilus Thomson in the southern and western parts and Reuben Mendenhall near the northern boundary. Additional to those enumerated, the following settlers came in an early day and made substantial improvements, namely: John Beesley, in Section 1, Township 28 north, Range 2, East; Joseph A. Burr, Section 2; William G. Vandorn, Section 2; Oliver and James Jenness, Section 11; John B. Brown, Isaac Burrough, Alfred Murphy and Hiram Lott, Section 12; Adolphus Runnells, John Nock and G. W. Cline, Section 13; John Dixon, B. F. Brown, William Pearson, James N, Crist and Leonard Dixon, Section 23; Thomas A. Long, Emery Daggett, William Daggett, C. L. Brown and Thomas Woodrick, Section 29; Samuel Truax. Samue Martindale and Thomas Martindale, Section 36.,

«sLewis N. Snodderly, William Marrow and George Haggerty, in section 5, Township 25 North, 4 East; George W. Larimer, Jacob Hockman, Benjamin Hann and Joseph Pontius, in Section 7, same township and range; Nathan Overman; D. R. Taylor, Sylvester Tumlin, James Adams, Simeon FPyOy and Jacob Knettle, Section 17; Jesso Gettinger and Noah Sandifur, Section 18;

James Lewis, L. Platts ana Stephea Chittick, Section 20; Archibald Chittick and Philip Vandevender, Section 29; Christopher Carter, Section 30; James Avelin, Zebedee Wright and Andrew Snyder, Section 31 and Daniel Russell, Section 82. The above named men formed the basis of the early settlement of the township and the majority of them purchased Jand from the Government and moved on the same prior to 1849.

Land Entries. - Deer Creek Township formed a part of the 'Great Miami Reservation' and consequently was not surveyed and opened for settlement as early as many otber parts of the county. The land was put upon the market subject. to entry in 1847, and during that year patents were obtained by the following parties in various parts of the township, to-wit: John Beesley, John B. Brown, B. F. Brown, Isaac Burroughs, A. Runzells, James S. Davenporte, Wm. McConnell, James McCrary, G. W. Larimer, James R. Davis, Joho W. Davis, O. H. Sanlifur, 3S. R. R3ai, R. M. Daniel, Benjamin Beayer, D. C. Jenkins, Jesso Gettinyer and James Avelin. During the year 1848 the following persons purchased Goverment lands, viz; Grandison Mercill, Jos. Graves, James Tilett, Isaac Hiatt, J. A. Burr, W. G. Vandorn, O° Jenness, John Hinchman, James Jenness, senior, A. Murphy, R. R. Reed, HLott, John Nock, G. W. Cline, Wm. Dixon, J. M. Dixon, J. Crist, J. T. Watkins, M. Bell, Wm. Miller, John Truax, George Spray, T. A. Long, F. Daggett, Emery Daggett, T. Woodrick, Nathan Piles, A. Watkins, John Keever, Samuel Richards, S. Truax, 8S. Martindale, Thomas Martindale, John Hicks, L. N. Snodderly, Wm. Morrow, Jos. Larimer, Jacob Hockman, B. Hann, D. R. Taylor, Geo. Pontius, N. Overman, James Adams, S. Tumlin, Austin Herrell, Elisha Garrett, W. E. Johnson, A. B. Walter, Arthur Compton, James Lewis, S. Chettick, J. B. Detray, W. Swinford, C. Caster, G@. W. Swinford, Archibald Chittick, L. Platts, Z. Wright, A. Snyder, Daniel Russell and James Fettis, quite a number of whom became permanent residents of the townsbip."

Political Organization

This township was organized September 1, 1847, with the following boundaries: Commencing at the north west corner of Section 2, Township 25, Range 4; thence south to the southern boundary of Miami County; thence west to the southwest corner of said county; thence north to the place of beginning.

The first election was held in the fall of 1847 at Runnell's mill and D. C. Jinkins was elected justice of the peace; Austin Herrell, Thomas Pearson and Lewis Snodderly, trustees; W. H. Miller, clerk; Daniel Ellis, treasurer.

Early -Industries

Among the early improvments in Deer Creek was an old mill or corn cracker, built by Adolphus Runnels abvut the year 1846. It was constructed by taking two fair sized ''nigger heads," and facing them. These we-e put into a frame, the water wheel attached and the mill was ready for running.

A few years later, one on nearly the same plan was erected by John Hicks farther up the creek. Numerous are the stories told concerning this mill, about having to keep the cows away while grinding, and how an old SOW by lying in the mill race had stopped the water, also how the meal that was

About the year 1850 a saw mill was erected by Nelson and Oliver Sandifur. This mill, although we would now consider it a rude one was then a model and did a large business for a number of years, furnishing the country with its lumber. It was the old style up and down saw.

Religious fervor was a aoticable characteristic of the early settlers and in 1846 the first meeting in the township was held at Lewis Snodderly's home by the Methodists.

Before long an organization of this sect was perfected and is still kept up in the village of Miami. The Rev. E. W. Osburn is the present pastor.

A number of years ago a society, known as the Disciples, held meetings in a house they had erected for that purpose, but at the present time they have no organization. Tbere are quite a number of this faith still living in this community.

A Baptist church is situated on Deer Creek, near the western border of the county. It was organized in the year 1849. Elder Walters being the first pastor. There were but five other members. In 1893 the church disbanded, the members taking letters to Galveston, Kokomo, and Bunker Hill Baptist ehurches:

In 1889, the Rev. J. F. Shutters began holding a series of tent meetings in Gettinger's grove, one half mile west of Miami and at the beginning of 1890 a church had been organized ana a building erected in Miami at a cost of about $1,200. Mission, is the name of this organization and it is the only one of ths kind in the state. They are similar to the Wesleyan Methodists, allowing all other doctrines to pass and going to the extreme in the doctrine of Sanctification.

The old Christian church (New Light) have an organized congregation in the southwest corner of the township. They have a good building and the society is in a good condition.

Village. Of Miami

The little villiage of Miami is situated near the central part of the township op the L. E. & W. railroad acd was laid out in 1849 by James Herrell. The first house was a small, round-log house, put up by Alexander Blake. It stood just west of where the railroad now is. Into this Mr. Blake moved a stock of goods and continued in busiaess forseveral years. The second merchant in the place was Ebenezer Humerickhouse, who came to the county about 1848. Mr Humerickhouse was a jovial, good natured old man, well liked by everybody. He continued in business until his death which occurred in 1886.

In 1851 Austin Herrell, a native of Kentucky, engaged in the merchandise business and continued for twenty years. 'The early mechanics were Samson Reed, William Ellis and Harvey Miller, carpenters; and Jacob Saylers, blacksmith. Among the early industries of Miami were a sawmill built by Alexander Blake, which did a successful business for a number of years. In 1870 Austin Herrell built a mill and operated it ten years. Near that time Eb. Humerickhouse erected a grist mill which was operated until 1880 when it a0 moved to Walton, Indiana.

Cresvent Lodge No, 280, F and A. M. was organized about the year 1854 with A. Hatfield, A. Armstrong, M. T. Norman, E. Humerickhouse, Warren Truax and Joseph Vandevender among the charter members.

Deer Creek Lodge, No. 246, I. O. O. F. was instituted in 1866 with five charter members. 'This organization lasted for a time, but the order becoming weak, it was disorganized in 1891.

Bennett Switch

Bennett Switch is a small village, two miles south of Miami. It is the local trading place of the neighborhood and contains several stores, a saw mill an elavator, and a number of dwelling houses. The population is about 125 or 150.

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