MARRS TOWNSHIP
As it is now bounded, was organized by the Board of County Commissioners, at a meeting of that body, held at Blackford, March 24, 1817. It was named after Samuel R. Marrs, one of the first Commissioners, who came to Posey County from Warrick, of which he was the first Sheriff, and who died in 1818. The first election in this township was held at the house of Wm. Hutcheson. It is among the largest of the ten townships contained in the County, and the character of its soil is excellent. With improved facilities for transportation of its products, it is safe to say that Marrs will take second rank to none of her sisters in agricultural wealth. The number of acres of land under cultivation in 1880 was 14,245, the yield of wheat for that year averaging fifteen, while the yield of corn was thirty-five bushels per acre.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


ROBB TOWNSHIP
Was named after Thomas and William Robb, the first settlers, the boundaries of which, March 24, 1817, embraced its present limits, all of Bethel and the greater portion of Harmony townships. The first election in Robb was held at the house of Langston Drew. This township is one of the foremost, and its superior natural advantages must and will always keep her at the front. Her soil is rich and her people are intelligent and progressive, keenly alive to their immediate interests and at the same time show a disposition to encourage the welfare of the County in general. The number of acres of land cultivated in this township, in 1880, was 9,947, the average yield of wheat being eighteen and that of corn forty bushels per acre.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


SMITH TOWNSHIP
Was formed and officially recorded by the Board of County Commissioners, March 24, 1817, and at that time included its present boundaries, with additional territory that has since become a part of Warrick and Gibson Counties. It was named after George Smith, one of the earliest and most prominent settlers at whose house the first election was held. On August 15, 1817, "all that part of Smith township lying North of the main Big Creek and South of Reeter's race" was added to and became a part of Lynn. Smith was the first of the townships in the Northern part of the County to secure the advantages of railway communication, a subsidy being voted to the E. & T. H. R. R. for an extension of its line from Owensville, in Gibson County, to Cynthiana, in that township, in 1880. The number of acres of land cultivated in Smith in 1880 was 5,897, the production of wheat averaging fifteen, while the yield of corn was thirty-five bushels per acre for that year.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


LYNN TOWNSHIP
Was also organized in 1817, and at that time embraced a part of Harmony township, the town of Harmonie (now known as New Harmony) being the place where the first election was held. It was named after Dann Lynn, the first Representative of the County in the Legislature and who was also a member of the Convention which adopted the Constitution under which the State was admitted to the Union. In 1880 the number of acres of land under cultivation in the township was 12,119, and the average yield of wheat was fourteen, while that of corn was twenty-five bushels per acre. The greater portion of the surface is rolling and the character of the soil is splendid. It contains a thrifty and prosperous class of farmers, while its schools and churches compare very favorably with those of more pretentious townships.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


BLACK TOWNSHIP
Was named after Hugh, William and Thomas Black, three brothers, who were among the very earliest settlers, and who were highly respected by their acquaintances. On March 24, 1817, when the township was organized its territory included what is now known as Point, which, from August 14, 1821, until May 13, 182 2, was called Daniel township, named in honor of John Daniel, the first permanent settler there. The first election held in this township was at the house of Thomas Givens, in Mt. Vernon. It is the wealthiest township in the County, and, in 1880, had under cultivation 43,007 acres of land, the yield of wheat and corn per acre averaging respectively fifteen and thirty-five bushels. Its surface is gently undulating, its soil is very fertile and its inhabitants, as a class, are frugal, industrious and enterprising. It contained, according to the census report of 1880, 7,000 inhabitants. Its educational facilities are superior, its standard of morality is high and its sanitary condition is excellent. Among the earliest settlers of this township were Wm. Curtis, father of Thomas, Joshua and Wm. B. (who is the father of George W., the incumbent of the County Clerk's office), and his cousin, Ke1 Curtis. They came to the County in 1811. “Aunt Becky” McFaddin, who died at Mt. Vernon, February 3, 1873, in the eighty-seventh year of her age, and who was the widow of Andrew McFaddin, was a resident of this township sixty-eight years. "Aunt Becky" was found dead in her bed with the Bible in her arms.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


WAGNON TOWNSHIP
Was organized in March, 181 7, and when Vanderburgh was formed, January 7, 1818, it became a part of that county and is now known as Perry township. It was named after Wm. Wagnon, a very early settler and one of the first panel of grand jurors that ever sat in Posey County.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


BETHEL TOWNSHIP
Was formed August 14, 1821, and was named after P. C. Bethel, the first white man who settled within its confines. It is in the extreme Northern part of the County, comprises a great deal of superior soil, and, in 1880, had under cultivation 4,993 acres of land, which produced 53,650 bushels of wheat and 80,011 bushels of corn, averaging fifteen of the former and thirty-five bushels per acre of the latter cereal. It is abundantly supplied with an excellent growth of timber, has good schools and good society.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


HARMONY TOWNSHIP
Was organized August 14, 1821, and derives its name from the peculiar class of people who settled it in 1814 -15, and who styled themselves the "Harmonie Society," an account of which will be found under the sketch of New Harmony. In population and wealth it is second only to Black. Its inhabitants are intelligent, industrious and public spirited. There were 8,573 acres of land under cultivation in the township in 1880, and the yield of wheat and corn for that year aggregated 265,402 bushels, the average production being respectively, fifteen and thirty-five bushels per acre.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


ROBINSON TOWNSHIP
Is probably one of the oldest townships in the County, having been formed in the first days of the Territory's history, the exact time not being known, as there is no record in possession of the County in reference to its organization. Enough is known, however, for stating that it was named after Jonathan Robinson, a man who was prominently identified with that section of the County in the "days of long ago." The fact that nothing can be found regarding the formation of the township tends to confirm the opinion that all documentary evidence concerning this and the other townships that existed before those that are now comprised in the County was destroyed at Vincennes in January, r 814, when the office of the Register of the Territorial Land Department, with its contents, was burned. The Legislature, by an act passed September 7, 1814, appointed Benjamin Parke, John D. Hay and Nathaniel Ewing, Commissioners, to receive and record evidence relating to all papers involving titles to lands that were jeopardized by the loss of all instruments of writing consequent upon the destruction of the Register's office. The population of this township is largely composed of Germans, who have made it one of the most productive quarters of the County. No township, taken on the whole, is a source of greater pride to the County than this. Its schools are of a superior character, its people are thrifty and law abiding and its sanitary condition is superb. Hon. Wm. Heilman, now a member of Congress from the First Congressional District of Indiana, spent the first years of his residence in the United States in this township. In 1880 there were 9,323 acres of land under cultivation in Robinson, the yield of wheat and corn averaging, respectively, fifteen and thirty-five bushels per acre.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


CENTER TOWNSHIP
Was so named because of its central location in the county, and was formed from parts of Robinson, Lynn and Harmony, in March, 1859. Although it is youngest, it is by no means the least, in point of wealth and productiveness. In 1880, there were 7,071 acres of land under cultivation, the yield of wheat and corn for that year aggregating 153,140 bushels, of which there were 92,445 bushels of corn, which averaged a yield of 43 bushels per acre. The inhabitants of the township are prosperous and thrifty, and show a disposition to improve in every particular that is highly commendable. The superior natural advantages of the township cannot be ignored, and for that reason we predict for it a glorious destiny.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


POINT TOWNSHIP
Was organized May 13, 1822, and it still retains the boundaries which were given it in that year, previous to which time, from August 14, 1821, it was called Daniel township. Very little of its area, comparatively, has been brought under cultivation, though, in 1880, there were 5,155 acres sown to grain, from which 96,305 bushels of corn and 17,030 bushels of wheat were harvested. A large proportion of its timbered lands, particularly those that lie along the Wabash and Ohio rivers, could, and will be, ere long, ,tilled and made a great source of revenue. The first election in the township was held at the house of Daniel Owen. The capabilities of Point township, while they are not so great as those of her sisters, must be recognized, and when that is done, the township will "bloom and blossom as the rose" and will be one of the brightest of the constellations of townships found in other quarters of the Union.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


"HOOP-POLE '' TOWNSHIP
As a great many of our readers have frequently heard the word “hoop-pole” applied to a township of this county, and as a majority of them perhaps do not know how it originated, we give the following version, hoping to disabuse the minds of a great many who may entertain the idea that such a township had actual existence. About fifty years ago, there was a large class of robust, fearless men who followed the river for a livelihood, and who were known as flat-boatmen. Generally they were perfect types of physical manhood, men of nerve, and by their occupation innured to endurance and hardships. At that period the business of transporting goods by means of flat-boats was more extensively engaged in than now, and it was not uncommon to see a dozen or more of this kind of water craft afloat in mid stream or lying at the landing simultaneously. Mt. Vernon was noted abroad as a place that claimed, as her residents, a number of hard "cases." They were not what is known as desperadoes, but merely men who would not scruple at running horse races, playing poker or indulging in fisti-cuffs whenever the opportunity was offered. It was some time in the year 1834 or '35, when several crews of flat-boatmen were on their boats at the landing at Mt. Vernon, and when the idea occurred to them that it would be a source of amusement to " turn up the town." The first place they stopped was at the saloon kept by John Carson, 011 Water street. Directly opposite this dram shop was a cooper shop, owned by John Cooper, in whose employ were several men, who were not averse to "sport" and who soon joined the flat-boatmen, with whom they tapped glasses and drank frequently. The drinking continued until a general fight ensued, in which the coopers were badly beaten. The news of this defeat and outrage came to the ears of the rough element mentioned, and to avenge the wrong perpetrated upon their fellow-citizens, they congregated in numbers at the cooper shop, equipped themselves with hoop-poles, and, accompanied by the bruised and bleeding coopers, attacked the flat-boatmen. It is said that the combat was a long and bloody one, the chances being equally divided between the belligerants; brick-bats whizzed through the air and hoop-poles were brandished and fell relentlessly upon the backs of the invaders like the wrath of the avenging angels. Evidences were finally shown that the river men were weakening, though this end was slow to come about. The citizens were not slow to discover their condition, and they charged the enemy furiously, who began a retreat, which terminated in a complete rout. The water men beat a hasty retreat, pursued by the incensed '' land lubbers" to their boats, which they quickly unloosed and pushed into the stream. The victory was a “glorious one” and the reputation of the village for fighting men was grandly sustained. The boatmen, with swollen noses and blackened eyes, were carried away on the majestic bosom of the Ohio to the sunny clime of the South, where the fragrance of the magnolia and orange blossom is perpetual; where the balmy air is healing and where dreams of happiness "dance o'er the mind". They passed and were passed in turn by flat boatmen; their unsightly appearance elicited inquiry and inquiry produced facts; facts that confirmed the prevalent idea that "they were a bad set at 'Vernon”. Whenever a man on the rivers, after that event, was seen with a damaged facial member, a broken nose or a "mourning" eye, he was accosted with "Been to 'Vernon,' pard? Hoop-pole township, Posey County, is a hard un, ain't she ?"

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


MOUNT VERNON, BLACK TOWNSHIP
The town of Mt. Vernon received its name in 1816, when the first official plats were recorded by John Wagner, John Givens and Aaron Williams, as will be seen under the heading of "additions and enlargements," the purchase of the site having been made by those gentlemen from Gen. Wm. H. Harrison, as will also be seen under that heading. In the year 1795, Andrew McFaddin, ("Tiddle-de-dum") a native of North Carolina, crossed the Ohio river into Posey County from Kentucky, at Diamond Island, on a hunting expedition, and it was while he was in pursuit of game in the county that he discovered the location of the present town of Mt. Vernon. A few years after his return to the "dark and bloody ground", or in 1805, he concluded to remove his family to Indiana, and he came directly to this place. After he had erected his dwelling, “Slim” Andrew and William McFaddin, two cousins, followed him, and they gave the name of McFaddin’s Bluff to the locality, by which it was known until and some time after the town of Mt. Vernon was laid out.

For a year after their advent into this country they resided on the land which is now owned by Frederick Hagerman, and which formerly belonged to Jesse Oatman. Trading boats landed at the rocks in front of this farm until about the year 1810, when they began to stop at the present wharf, which was constructed by Moses Ross, contractor, in 1851, at a cost to the city of $40,000. The McFaddins remained at the original landing until the year 1806, when they removed to the present site of Mt. Vernon, where others soon afterward located and engaged in various pursuits. At the time the McFaddins settled here there was a dense growth of heavy timber on the site of Mt. Vernon, and as late as 1824 deer were killed at that part of the town where Second crosses Main street. There were also at that time large ponds of water on the block in which Evertson Brothers' Mills are situated and on that block now owned by Messrs. Edward Evertson, Wm. P. Daniel and Noble Craig, and it was to these bodies of water that the Nimrods of that day went in search of wild geese and ducks. Many of the old residents of Mt. Vernon on pleasant afternoons and evenings, wooed and won their wives in the shade of the majestic oaks, stately poplars and graceful maples that covered the territory extending from Third street to the banks of the river. Some are still living who remember with what joyful expectancy they looked forward to that moment when they should take a ramble through the forest and listen to the sweet caroling of the feathered songsters and enjoy the blissful moments of courtship alone. They will remember, too, the wildness of the scene that was presented in a few scattering, rudely-constructed log huts in a wilderness of forest, and will recall the exciting moments that passed while chasing the bears, wolves and other animals that inhabited the locality at that day, when the dusky savage, with his rifle and tomahawk, was a familiar sight. The first dwelling house built on the territory occupied by Mt. Vernon was erected by Andrew McFaddin ("Tiddle-de-dum") at the foot of Store street, about the year 1806, where the warehouses of G. W. Thomas now stand. It was a primitive structure in every sense. Its floor was earthen, while the ''bedsteads" were constructed in a manner that did not display a great deal of ingenuity on the part of the workman. They were made of two horizontal poles fastened at one end to the wall and supported by two upright pieces of the same material, while the "slats" were round pieces of unhewn timber. The clothing worn in those days was made of the skins of wild animals, while moccasins were the only protection to their feet from the blasts of Winter, a majority of the people wearing nothing at other seasons on their pedal extremities. Until 1814 marriage licenses were obtained at Vincennes, seventy-five miles distant, and, although this fact would at this day, no doubt, be considered sufficient excuse for postponing such events indefinitely, marriage contracts were consummated very often by the pioneers. As a visit to that place could not be made only by horseback along a winding and dangerous trail the devotion of matrimonial candidates was highly commendable, an act of faithfulness which, if practiced at this day by prospective benedicts, would doubtless increase a confiding faith in their inamoratas for them. It was a custom at that time, and is practiced by some now, for the women to escort the bride to bed, while the duty of leading the blushing bridegroom to the marital couch devolved upon the male attendants.

In those days, too, it was not an uncommon occurrence for the young people to attend dances barefooted, and, if the stories of those who were "society folks" in that period are to be credited, they enjoyed themselves fully as well as they who now “trip the light fantastic toe” in the whirling polka or the mazy waltz on waxed floors, to the strains of improved instruments and proficient musicians. Then a single fiddler furnished the music, and the standard of enjoyment was regulated by the amount of energy exhibited by the dancers. They danced on puncheon, instead of waxed floors, and the knees of the gentlemen were utilized as seats by the ladies. Imagine the embarrassment of the average swain of to-day in such a position! The ladies in those days carried their shoes in their hands to church, where they put them on, and where after the services, they took them off again. The first store in Mt. Vernon was built on the corner of Store and Water streets, by Darius North and ___ Roderick. The building was one of very modest proportions and the material used in its construction was hewn logs, cut near what is now the corner of Main and Second streets. Jesse Y. Welborn erected and kept the first hotel in 1820, on the corner of Main and Water Streets. He afterwards built a hotel on the lot partly occupied by the First National Bank, fronting on Main Street. These buildings were also made of logs. The first Justice of the Peace was Nathan Ashworth, who was elected in 1816. He performed the duties of the office with care and kept an eye on the criminal and "civil" complications and ''differences" of that time.

Squire McFaddin was the proprietor of the first ferry boat that ever crossed the Ohio river at Mt. Vernon. It was a small vessel, was propelled by hand and was built in 1813. In 1827 Lionel J. Larkin, John Carson and Mrs. Nancy Nettelton kept the only taverns in the town. These places were the rendezvous of the village gossipers, tipplers and idlers, where, on winter evening they spent the time in tippling and reciting the current rumors and incidents.

Previous to this time, from 1820, Jesse Y. Welborn and Wm. Crabtree were the proprietors of the hotels of which the embryo village boasted, and which were the first places of "public entertainment.''

At that time the principal business portion of the town was built on the present wharf, the houses all being frame and having a northern exposure. About the year 1845 a fire destroyed the greater portion of "the row." Among the buildings that escaped destruction was a large frame, for several years occupied by Darius North as a general store, which is now used as a cabinet shop by Henry Weisinger, and which for many years stood where the Masonic Hall now is.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


NEW HARMONY, HARMONY TOWNSHIP
No place in the County has a more interesting history than New Harmony, and it is probably more widely known than any other town of its size in the country, solely due to the relations which the Rappites and the Owens bore towards it. In 1805 Michael Hahn and George Rapp, dissenting from the doctrines of Lutherianism, were made the objects of persecution by the supporters of that religious faith until they were, for personal liberty, compelled to seek a land where they could promulgate the tenets of their peculiar belief without restriction. Early in that year "three ship-loads of colonists, under Rapp's leaders,'' left their home in Wurtemberg, Germany, and sailed for America, settling in Butler County, Pennsylvania, where they purchased lands, erected houses and began life according to the manner which they had previously planned." Imitating the example which was first set, perhaps, by the Pythagorean College at Cretona, and which followed, five hundred years later, by the early Christians, they threw their entire possessions into a community stock, resolving thenceforth to have all things in common; adopted a simple and uniform style of dress, and built their dwellings nearly alike. Two years later, following Paul's suggestions, they adopted the principle of celibacy." In the year 1812 George Rapp visited the Southern portion of Indiana and was so well pleased with the Northern locality of Posey County that he resolved upon removing, with his colonists, to the present site of New Harmony. In June, 1814, he and one hundred others emigrated to their new home, followed by the whole colony in the Summer of 1815. During the ten years of their residence in Pennsylvania, by steady industry and rigid economy, the colony accumulated considerable property, consisting of herds and flocks, a woolen factory and 6,000 acres of land. Before they took their final departure, this property was sold for $100,000 cash, though its value was supposed to be much greater than that sum. The colony included one hundred and twenty-five families, or about seven hundred persons. When they had erected places of business and their residences they gave the place the name of Harmonie, which was changed to New Harmony when the property was purchased by Robert Owen, a few years afterward, during which the Rappites acquired, by purchase and entry, 30,000 acres of land, of which they entered at the land office at Vincennes, at different periods, 17,022 acres.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


BLACKFORD
The town of Blackford was where the first seat of justice in the county was established, and it was laid out by the Board of County Commissioners in January, 1815, where, on May 4, 1817, the proceedings of that body were first recorded after the location of the first seat of justice. Samuel Jones, at the first term of the Commissioner's Court, May 12, 1817, was appointed Treasurer of the County for one year, his bond being fixed at $4,000, with Ezekiel Saunders and Warner Clark, sureties; and whose report at the end of his first term of office shows that he paid to the Commissioners the sum of $912.41. (Nicholas Joest, the incumbent of the Treasurer's office, in his report to the County Commissioners, at the June term of their Court, 1881, on final annual settlement, showed a balance of $31,417 12, as being due to the county, which is a flattering tribute to the progress of the age, as well as a compliment to the officials who have succeeded Mr. Jones.) At the same term of this Court, the contract was awarded him for the construction of the first "gaol," for which he was to be paid the sum of $422 87 1/2 out of any money arising from the sale of lots in the town of Blackford." David Love was allowed $42 50 ''for assessing the taxable property of Posey County for 1816." On the 12th of May, 1817, Morris Robertson was allowed $4 for killing four wolfs, June 1, 1816, whose scalps he had preserved and produced at the time he received the reward. Wm. E. Stewart, the first Clerk of the County, was also allowed $23 50 "for ex-officio services for the year 1816, and for the rent of his office eight months," showing that the officials of that early period were compelled to provide themselves with offices and attend to the duties of their positions at very moderate salaries.

Thomas Harp, of Marrs, Thomas Litton, of Wagnon, now a part of Vanderburgh; Aaron Bacon, of Black; John Graddy, of Lynn; James Robb, of Robb, and Wm. Davis, of Smith, were the first appointments made to fill the position of Assessor for their respective townships. Jonathan Jeffries and Robert Allen, of Robb; Jeffrey Sanders and Nicholas Long, of Wagnon; Wm. Stephens and Paul Casselberry, of Marrs; Adam Albright and Nathan Ashworth, of Black; Samuel Eblin and Thomas Barton, of Lynn, and John Armstrong and James Martin, of Smith, received the first appointments as overseers of the poor, one of the duties, at this time, of the township trustees. Thomas E. Casselberry, in May, 1817, entered into bond as County agent in the sum of $4,000, with Paul Casselberry, David A. Mills and Wm. Stevens as securities. This officer performed some of the duties as are now entailed upon the Sheriff and Treasurer. The office was abolished in 1839, and the last work was done by Scarborough Pentecost, who settled with the County treasurer, Wm. J. Lowry, May 5, 1840. The inspectors of merchandise brought into the County for sale by itinerant or local tradesmen, in 1817, were: Thomas Litton, for Wagnon; Wm. Hutcheson, (father of Philo A. Hutcheson, incumbent of the Recorder's office,) for Marrs ; John Duckworth, for Black ; Peter Jones, for Robb; Wm. Nelson, for Lynn, and Wm. Davis, for Smith townships. In this same year township elections were held, in Marrs, at the house of Wm. Hutcheson; in Black, at the house of Thomas Givens; in Lynn, at the town of Harmony; in Robb, at the house of Langston Drew; in Smith, at the house of George Smith, and, in Wagnon, at the house of Wm. Johnson.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


BLAIRSVILLE, ROBINSON TOWNSHIP
Has a population of 200, was laid out by Stephen Blair and Ebenezer Phillips, July 4, 1837. The German element predominates, and the country surrounding it is very productive. It contains a few places of business, one church, a good school and has a weekly mail.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


CABORN, MARRS TOWNSHIP
Was named after Cornelius Caborn, by whom the village was laid out in 1871. It is situated on the L. & N. Railway, six miles East of Mt. Vernon, has a school, a few places of business, a Methodist church and a population of sixty souls.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


CALVIN STATION, ROBB TOWNSHIP
Is on the line of the Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Railroad, one-half mile from Stewartsville. It is delightfully situated, has a daily mail and may become a place of some importance. It was laid out by James T. Calvin, Esq., April 21, 1881.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


CYNTHIANA, SMITH TOWNSHIP
Was laid out by Wm. Davis, March 6, 1817. The place was named after two daughters of Mr. Davis, the founder, John Shanklin and Andrew Moffat were the proprietors of the first store, which was a small log cabin, and Clement Whiting kept the first tavern. The place is pleasantly situated on the Evansville & Terre Haute Railroad, twenty-four miles from Mt. Vernon, the county seat. It contains severa1 places of business, three churches and a two-story brick graded school house. The society is good, its sanitary condition superb, and its population is placed at 400 souls.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


FARMERSVILLE, BLACK TOWNSHIP
There is no official record showing when the settlement of this village occurred, but it is stated positively by the oldest inhabitants that the erection of houses and the location of lands in the vicinity was about the year 1813. The first settlers were from New England, and from this fact the name of Yankeetown, by which it is sometimes known, originated. It is situated on the New Harmony and Mt. Vernon stage road, eleven miles South of the former and four miles North of the latter place. The country adjacent is picturesque and undulating, the farms being well improved and thoroughly cultivated. It contains a graded school, constructed of brick, in 1875, at a cost of $6,000; a store where general merchandise is vended, three churches, a blacksmith shop, and two physicians. It has a daily mail, and its support is derived from the agricultural interests. Population, 75.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


GRAFTON, LYNN TOWNSHIP
Was laid off by George W. Thomas, Esq., of Mount Vernon, in 1852. It is six miles from the county seat, has a weekly mail, contains two places of business and is situated in a very fertile farming section. Elisha Trafford, Esq., is postmaster.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


WINFIELD, HARMONY TOWXSHIP
Was laid out by John Cox, in October, 1838, and is sometimes called ''Bugtown." It is a mere settlement.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


NEW BALTIMORE, BETHEL TOWNSHIP
Was laid off in 1837, by W. J. Johnson, but it never became even a village. The section of land on which the town was located was entered by James Allen, in 1819.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


POSEYVILLE, ROBB TOWNSHIP
Was originally called Palestine, from February 24, 1840, to 1852, when its name was changed. It was laid out by Talbott Sharp and Ellison Cale, is quite a pretty village of 350 inhabitants and is located in a most picturesque agricultural quarter of the County. The first store keeper here was Jonathan S. Jaquess and Overton kept the first tavern. It is situated on the Peoria, Decatur and Evansville Railway, 24 miles North East of Mt. Vernon and has a daily mail, James Goslee, postmaster. It is in a flourishing condition, has a graded brick schoolhouse, several places of business and three churches. The society of the place is very good and its sanitary condition excellent. The first and only paper the place has had is the Times, established in 1881.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


PRICE’S STATION, BETHEL TOWNSHIP
Is growing quite rapidly, is situated on the Peoria, Decatur and Evansville Railroad, seven miles Northeast of New Harmony, has a daily mail and is a promising village. It was laid out by Wm. Price, August 11, 1881. P. 0. Griffin.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


SAINT PHILLIP, MARRS TOWNSHIP
Is on the Louisville and Nashville Railway, 11 miles East of Mt. Vernon. It is well supplied with schools and churches, is in a rich agricultural section and has a population of 75. One of the finest church edifices in the County was erected at this place in 1870 at a cost of $10,000. Elizath Deig is postmistress, a lady who is noted for her liberality and Christian spirit. When the church referred to was completed she purchased an organ at her own expense, costing $2,000, and presented it to the congregation. The community is largely made up of German Catholics.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


ST. WENDEL
Is in the northeastern part of Robinson township, sixteen miles East of Mt. Vernon, has a few places of business, a brick schoolhouse, a very fine church, erected at considerable cost, by the Catholic denomination, and a daily mail. Its population is placed at 175. It was never officially laid out, and is situated in Posey and Vanderburgh Counties, the line dividing the counties running through the center of the place.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


SPRINGFIELD, LYNN TOWNSHIP
Became the second seat of justice, and the official plat of which was recorded by David Love, on May 20, 1817, when it was laid out by the County Commissioners, the circumstances of the event being fully related under the heading "Courts of the County," found elsewhere in these pages. The first brick Court House in Southern Indiana was erected at this place by Frederick Rappe, an account of which will also be found elsewhere. The Court House has been remodeled and is now used as a schoolhouse. The village contains a church and about 125 inhabitants. Matthew Williams surveyed, Andrew Hindman and Thomas Wilson "staked," and Wm. Alexander carried the chain when the town was laid off. Isaac Nettleton established the first, John Schnee, the second, and Samuel James, the third tavern here, and as it may be interesting to the reader to know under what restrictions the proprietors of houses of that character were placed at that day, the following "rating" of the Board of Commissioners is copied from the order book of that body: "For a horse at hay twelve hours, 25 cents; horse feed (one meal), 25 cents; one meal for a person, 25 cents; lodging, one person, _2 1/2 cents; whisky, per half pint, 12 1/2 cents; peach or apple brandy, half pint, 25 cents, and cider or beer, 12 1/2 cents per quart." The license was $10 per annum for houses of public entertainment. Joseph Spaulding, in addition to his hotel, carried on a general merchandise business, in a log house, in the side of which was cut a hole of four square feet, from which was handed such articles as were purchased at the establishment, the patrons being compelled to stand on the outside of the building. It was at this hole where a great many were supplied with the ardent beverage. It is related that a man, under the influence of liquor, attempted to crawl through the aperture for the purpose of avenging himself upon the person of Spaulding for some imagined wrong done him by “Uncle Joe,” who had the man at his mercy when he had succeeded in getting into the opening, a fact that the inebriate realized when he felt the stinging blows laid on with a board in the hands of the proprietor of the establishment. It had the effect of bringing him to his senses, and he “steered clear” of the dangerous hole ever afterwards.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


STEWARTSVILLE, ROBB TOWNSHIP
Formerly known as Paris, was laid out by William Stewart on October 29, 1838, in a very eligible locality; six miles East of New Harmony. It contains several stores, one church and a two-story brick graded school house. The population is placed at 125. It has a daily mail by the Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Railway, whose route is one-half mile distant. Its inhabitants are made up of a good class of people and its sanitary condition is excellent. A blockhouse was constructed in the immediate vicinity of this village in 1809, on the farm of John Cox (''double-head"), who, with the families of Maxey Jolley, Thomas Robb, V. Leavitt and John Wallace, occupied it as a protection against the Indians.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


WADESVILLE, CENTER TOWNSHIP
Was laid out, February 17, 1853, by Daniel Leffel, James Pelt and Wm. Moye, when it belonged to Robinson Township. It has several places of business, a church and a school house. The country surrounding the village is picturesque and the soil is quite fertile. The population is about 100.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


WEST FRANKLIN, MARRS TOWNSHIP
Is situated on the Ohio river, twelve miles above Mt. Vernon. It was laid out by John B. Stinson, in January, 1837, and was for a number of years quite a promising village, but for some reason it has dwindled into a place of very limited extent, chiefly attributable to the presence of Caborn, a growing village on the L. and N. Railway. At present it contains a church, a school house, two places of trade and has a daily mail by the river route. Although no town was laid out until comparatively a very recent period, there were a great many settlers in the vicinity of where West Franklin now stands as early as 1815. It was at this point where all the emigrants from Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia crossed from Kentucky when they located in the County. It was called at that time Diamond Island Ferry. Dann Lynn died here, of cholera, in 1833.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882


WOODVILLE, BLACK TOWNSHIP
Was laid out, November 5, 1819, by W. A. L. Green, the plat of which, on December 14, in the same year, was revoked and its lots became a part of the farm adjoining the land Dr. E. V. Spencer, of Mt. Vernon, now owns, situated about 3 miles Northwest of the County seat, on the lower New Harmony wagon road.

History and Directory of Posey County
by W. P. Leonard
Evansville, A. C. Isaacs, Book Printer & Binder
1882