Sheridan Town (part 2 of 2)

The first school house was a one-roomed building located in the north part of town. A brick school house later was built in the east part of town. In 1902 this building was destroyed by fire and while the new school house was being erected school was held in the church. The present school building also is of brick and much finer than the one it succeeded. It has the name of being the finest and best district school house in the township. The teachers who have taught in the primary room since the new school house was built are as follows: Cannie Hendricks, one year; Vune Carson, three years; Mrs. E. B. Foster, three years; Golda Burton, two years; Hazel Holloway, one year, and Eva Leeman, three years. Iva Brown is the present primarygrade teacher. The intermediate teachers since the new school house was built are as follows: Howard Roberts, one year; Edward Quear, three years; Cleve McCarty, three years; E. B. Foster, three years; Joseph Thayer, one year ; Edward Quear, two years, and Myrl Knapp, one year. Mr. Knapp is teaching at the present time.

The postoffice at Omega was presided over by the store keepers for four years. It was discontinued upon the establishment of the rural free delivery system. Finley Smock is the present carrier, the mail being sent out from Atlanta.

It is about seventy years since any Indians have been seen in Omega. About that time two Indians walked through Omega and said they were on their way from Strawtown to Peru, where there was an Indian settlement at that time.

Box Ley

Boxleytown, as it was formerly called, but now shortened to Boxley, is one of the oldest settlements in the county. It was laid out in 1836 by

Addison and Thomas P. Boxley and is the first town site in Adams town¬ ship. In the Indiana Gazetteer of 1850 this item is given concerning Boxley: "Boxleytown, a small village in the northwest part of Hamilton county, on the road from Strawtown to Kirklin, with a population of one hundred twenty-five. The town was first called Aberdine, but later changed to its present name in honor of George Boxley."

The land forming the town site formerly belonged to Addison Boxley and the site was formed by dividing some of his land into lots and selling the same. The founders of the town, Addison and Thomas Boxley, were also the first store keepers. Dr. Thomas P. Boxley was the first postmaster, in which capacity he served for many years. One year after the founding ot the town it became a Democratic community. The first township election was held, and Reuben Tansey was elected justice of the peace. The first white child born in the township, Vinton Spencer, was born in the year 1830 within a few miles of Boxley. Also the first marriage in the township oc¬ curred at this place in 1833, the contracting parties being Stephen Blevens and Elsie McKinsey.

In the early days Boxley played a very important part in the history of the county. It was on the road from Strawtown to Wabash, and as roads were scarce in those days all the travel between those points passed that way. Addison Boxley also kept a tavern, the first in the township. His house was very well patronized by emigrants passing over the route.

No mill was built in or near Boxley for a number of years. In 1861 Robert Drake erected a saw mill and later to this was added a grist mill. Among the business men besides those already named are enrolled the names of Smith & Rodeman, George Palmer, J. R. Ogle and Steffy Brothers. The physicians include J. M. Richardson, T. J. McMurty and J. C. Newby.

In the way of religion the Methodist church came in the early days. In 1837 the Methodists began holding meetings. An organization was formed and attached to the Noblesville circuit. The first meetings, as was always customary in pioneer days, were held in private houses. Later, when a school house was erected, religious services were conducted there. The Methodists built their first church in 1852. The Christian church was not organized as early as the Methodist church, but in one way the later organization out¬ stepped the Methodists, as theirs was the first and only church building in the town for several years. It was a log house. In 1844 the Wesleyan Metho¬ dists organized a class in the old school house at Boxley under the leadership of Eben Teter. Later a protracted meeting was held, the new organization being grantee} the use of the Christian church. Two years later, 1846, Mr. Teter donated a lot for a new building, upon which a church was erected.

The schools in the township prior to 1852 were maintained by private subscription and were conducted in various places over the township. The first building erected under the new regime was at Boxley in the year 1854 and the education of the young has grown and flourished from that time to the present.

Eagletown is in Washington township, ten miles west of Noblesville, on the Noblesville and Lebanon road. It was laid out on land owned by Ephraim Stout and'Jesse Walter, by the latter in March, 1848. Contrary to the usual method of naming a town it -was not called after either of its founders, but was named Eagletown. Cyrus Bowman and F. Wells were the first mer¬ chants and Barker & White were the pioneer drug men. Nathan Pike opened the first blacksmith shop. In later years the only store in town was conducted by W. C. Vance.

In 1865 N. White and Samuel and Joseph Cloud built the Eagletown flour mill. They operated the mill about four years and then sold it to Imri Hunt, who, in turn, sold it to Henry Deer. Later George Hamilton bought the property and in 1874 he removed the machinery to Fishers, where a custom mill was erected. In '1877 Henry Couch erected a saw mill in Eagletown.

The first religious organization in Eagletown was known as the Union Christian Band and was organized at the Number Eleven school house, near Eagletown, in 1859. This band held its meetings in the school house for about a year. In i860 a church building was erected and named "Union Blue." This organization flourished for a few years, then many of its members dying or moving away, there was scarcely enough of the original "Band" to hold a meeting. As it was impossible to hold services regularly the or¬ ganization donated its building to the United Brethren congregation, which removed the building to Eagletown and thereafter union meetings were con¬ ducted in the church at stated periods. The United Brethren organized their denomination in 1850. Their first house of worship was a log cabin, but later they accepted the Christian Band's house, as related above. The early ministers were Reverends Hamilton, Winsett and Sherrill.

In 1841 or 1842 the Friends organized a meeting near Eagletown in a log cabin, which stood on Ephraim Stout's land. When this meeting was organized it was composed of about fifteen members, who continued to hold their services in this log cabin for about two years. Then a house of wor¬ ship was erected. This meeting was composed of members who withdrew from the Westfield meeting on account of the division about slavery. The Eagletown congregation was intensely anti-slavery band of Friends. A com¬ fortable church was built in Eagletown in 1855, where meetings were held every alternate month. The membership numbered more than a hundred at one time.

Aroma

At the time when Aroma was being settled the people lived in log cabins with dirt for a floor. Later they would take logs and split them into slabs and used these for a floor. This was called a puncheon floor. Their doors were made in the same way as their floors. The doors were so large that they could hitch a horse to a log and pull it into the house for the fire place. They used greased paper for windows. In the end of these log cabins were large fire places and huge sections of logs which were used for seats. The chimneys were made of brick and mud. Before the people began a general settlement here there were many wild animals.

Th people of that time spent most of their time hunting and clearing the forests. They built their log cabins in the thick forests. At night they could hear the barking and growling of the wolves. Among those who made early settlement at Aroma were William Leeman, John Harvey, William Alien, B. B. Johnson, Walter Jack, Lexional Beeson, .James Whitehead, Jacob Likens, Samuel Templeton, Jaiah Williams, George Carpenter, Henry Williams and Charles Harvey.

The first school house at Aroma was a frame structure, in which logs were used for seats. Slates were used to write on instead of paper. Now the town has a large brick building, with two large rooms and two small halls, with from forty to sixty desks to each room.

William P. Haworth, of Illinois, came to the spot where Aroma now stands at an early date and built a small store. The people kept demanding a name for his ''town.*' So he sent in the name Aroma, since which time the town has gone by this name. Later certain scoffers dubbed it with the name of Toadlope, because, they said, one could hear the frogs along the creek croaking "Toadlope, toadlope, toadlope!"

William Leeman, John Harvey and George Carpenter built the first public road through Aroma. It was made about 1838. They collected a number of men and cleared the right of way for the proposed road. The men brought several teams of oxen and plowed the highway, finally getting it in a passable condition. Now it is known as a very fine pike. This road runs east and west.

The different store keepers that have kept store at Aroma are Mr. Griff, William P. Haworth, Henry Williams, William Harvey, Ross Cooper, Ben¬ jamin Rummel, Joseph Babbitt, Charles Harvey, Newton Edinson, Charles Worley and Lee Dubois.

The postmasters have been Joseph Babbitt and Newton Edinson, who kept the office in their store. The first mail carrier were Mahlon Essie and Dunn. Mahlon Essie carried mail from Arcadia to Aroma on horse back. Later he purchased a wagon and two horses and he hauled passengers and mail each way.

The first church built in Aroma was under the direction of the Meth¬ odists. It was erected in 1878. The ministers who have preached here are: Reverends Bogue, Harriot, Turner, Fish, Gross, Crone, Green, Barrit. Nor¬ ris, Kerr, Bailor and Fisher.

New Britton

New Britton is situated four miles south of Noblesville, on the Lake Erie & Western railroad. It was laid out by William Brandon March 8, 1851. The original plat contained eight lots and was situated on the south¬ west quarter of the northwest quarter of section 30. Additions were made to the original plat by Sidney Cropper in 1872, and by W. H. Cyrus in 1874.

The pioneer merchant was a man named Brozier. A blacksmith shop was opened soon after Brozier opened a general merchandise store. Doctor Cyrus was the first physician in New Britton. Samuel Trittipo succeeded Mr. Brozier in business, adding grain buying to the original business. The postoffice was in the general store and was kept by Brozier and Trittipo in turn. In 1862 Sydney Cropper bought land adjoining the town on the west. He

New Britton remained what it was in the beginning, a country village, for many years. But now, for several years, it has been no town at all. It is the center of a good farming community, however, and as such is good to have in our midst. It takes its place in history from the fact that two of the five commissioners appointed to locate the capital of the state voted to locate the same upon what was called the Conner Bluff, on the east bank of White river ,only one mile west of where New Britton stood. The school house is one mile east of where the town stood. The Methodist church was organized in 1852 in the school house above named. The Methodist church declined after some years. Then, in 1868, it was reorganized and since that time meetings have been held by this denomination.

The village of Deming is situated on the southwest corner of Jackson township. The town was laid out in 1837 by Elihu Pickett, Solomon Pheanis and Lewis Jessup. The first name given the prospective town was Farmington, but it was discovered there was already a postoffice in Indiana by that name, so the name Deming was selected instead. The first store was operated by Elihu Pickett and the second by Joseph Hadley. B. F. Holliday was the first blacksmith and Allen Meek the second. Milton Stanley operated a tan yard in the early days.

In 1865 the Methodists built a church, though for some years previous they had met for worship in the school house. The first mill was erected in 1865, but when the town was laid out a "corn cracker" mill was running onehalf mile east, which met the early demands of the residents in and around Deming.

Mattsville is a small village on the south bank of Cool creek, eight miles southwest of Noblesville, in Delaware township. There was at one time a postoffice at Mattsville, but since the rural delivery system was inau¬ gurated it is a rural route from Carmel. The nearest church and school are east of the village. The church is White Chapel. Mattsville, since it was laid out, always has been a country village and it probably will never be any more pretentious than it is at present.

Ekin is a small village situated four miles west of Atlanta, on the line between Tipton and Hamilton counties. It is the center of a good farming community and is a prosperous little village, with its blacksmith shop, physi¬ cian, school and church.

Jolietville is a small village in the western part of Washington town¬ ship. The early business men were : Lewis Bowers, dry goods and grocer¬ ies; A. J. Garnett and O. N. Herron, drug stores. Jolietville today is much as it has been from the beginning. It probably always will be a simple rural village with its country store, school and church.

Home Place

During the summer of 1914 a new town was laid out in Hamilton county called Home Place. It is on the traction car line south of Carmel. As yet there is only one house in Home Place, but it is understood many of the lots are sold and other homes will be erected. There is never to be a saloon within its limits and no house erected there is to cost less than $1,300.