Recollections of Amelia Zion

SOME EARLY REMINISCENCES TOLD BY A PIONEER IN LEBANON.

In the year 1834 my husband, William Zion, and I came to Lebanon and settled in the wilderness among wolves, squirrels, snakes and many other pests. Mr. Zion entered what is now the William Stephenson farm, cleared the timber off and built a cabin and a blacksmith shop, he being a blacksmith and wagon amker [sic]. Soon after we had got our shop built, a land speculator came along on his way from Cincinnati to Chicago; when near our place he broke his carriage wheel, and did not know where to go for repairs. Some one told him of Mr. Zion being a wagon maker, and he came to our shop to get a new wheel made. My husband took a large oak rail from the fence to make a hub, and a smaller one for the spokes, and with the assistance of myself to turn the crank, on something similar to a grindstone, he fixed for the work and made him a new wheel, and the traveler went on his way, feeling relieved, as a breakdown in these swamps was a serious matter.

Mr. A. H. Longley built the first house in Lebanon on the site where Peter’s dry goods store now is. He was the first postmaster, and carried the mail in his hat, consequently the office was not always in the same place. Abner H. Shepherd came to Lebanon in 1836, and the following year, at the age of fourteen years, carried the mail from Indianapolis to Lafayette, by the way of Piketown, Royalton, Lebanon, Thorntown, Frankfort, Jefferson, Prairieville, Huntsville and Dayton. He rode horseback through the wilderness and mud, with nothing to guide him but the blazed road where the trees were chipped on one side to show the way to go. Mr. Zion was the contractor on this route. James Richey, the father of J. E Richey, was the first tailor in the town, and for several years cut and made the garments of our earlier inhabitants. John Peterson erected his cabin on the ground where Brown’s opera house now stands and engaged in the tavern business. William Smith, familiarly known as “Uncle Billy,” had a cabin where the Rose House now is. He was a “tavern keeper,” too, but carried his more extensively by selling liquor. It was no uncommon thing to see hunters, with their dogs and guns, come in on Sabbath day and go in and get a drink. But I am glad to say he afterwards joined the M. E. Church and lived a christian life. One of the miracles of his conversion was that he could neither read nor write until “wisdom from on high” taught him, and he soon learned to read the bible and had a good understanding of the same. David Hoover was the first clerk of the court, and was also recorder, holding both offices at the same time, and was not always kept employed. He was not troubled with parties running after him for deputyships. John Forsythe was selling dry goods on the lot known as “Zion’s Corner,” south of the square, and in 1855 William Zion bought him out, and continued in business until 1862. The first court house stood north of the square, court being held twice a year, lasting three days. Jacob Tipton, of Jamestown, was the first elected sheriff of the county, and was succeeded by William Zion, who held the office four years. I sometimes acted as turnkey, and one night at the late hour of 12 o’clock, went to the jail and let a relative of one of the prisoners out. Colonel Hocker was the first attorney and county surveyor. Dr. McConneha was the first practicing physician who located here. Before his coming people had to go to Thorntown for a doctor. Even before his arrival sometimes an undertaker was needed. Calomel was the cure for all things those times, and in one case it was a kill. A woman who had come here from Kentucky, did not feel well, but was able to do her house work; she went to a doctor and he prescribed calomel as being the thing to climate a person coming from another state, but the dose proved fatal.

The first church organized was the Methodist Episcopal, in the winter of 1835-6, with a membership of seven, as follows: Josiah Lane and wife, Addison Lane and wife, Amelia Zion, Rebecca Bradshaw and Steven Sims. The organization took place in the log court house, Rev. Thompson, of Crawfordsville, being the minister. But previous to this, a man by the name of Mills was sent out to this uncivilized country to preach to the heathens as a missionary. The New School Presbyterian was the second organization, with Rev. Bird as pastor. Soon after this, Rev. Ferguson, of Thorntown, organized the Old School Presbyterian Church. The Christian Church was organized in 1838, at the house of James McCann, on Main street, with Gilbert F. Harney as pastor, James McCann and wife, John Shulse and wife, Zachariah Pauley and wife, Jane Forsythe and Susan Dale members. Elizabeth Shulse is the only one of the charter members now living. This organization held meetings in the court house for awhile and then commenced to build a church on west Main street. The roof was on but no weather boarding, when one windy night the whole roof was blown off. Not being satisfied with the location, as it was on a street, they soon bought more ground where J. C. Brown’s residence now stands, and built a house on the commons, where nothing would disturb them but the frogs, as there was a pond full of these musicians close by. This building was afterwards sold to the Catholics and moved on Indianapolis avenue, where it was repaired and called the St. Charles Catholic Church. It stands there and is occupied by that denomination at this time. The Baptists had preaching for several years before they organized. The United Presbyterians had an organization for some time and held their meetings in the court house. The Christian Union also had a few members and held their meetings in the old Methodist Episcopal Church.

The first school teacher was a Mr. Kimble, who taught in the court house. The first school house was the “Seminary,” now the Pleasant Grove House, where many of our middle-aged men and women received their common education. W. F. W. C. Ensminger taught many years and was considered the best instructor we had ever had. Spelling was the one principal study, as the whole school would have to spell at the same time, and a prize was given for the best speller. Joseph Lewis, then a young man, and Mary Zion, eleven years of age, were the closing contestants, the latter carrying off the prize, a book of “Payne’s Poems.” The seminary was afterwards converted into a residence, Dr. Perkins living in it for several years. Chauncy King then bought it and commenced the hotel business, continuing the same until his death. Mrs. Bray, then his widow, is yet successfully carrying on the business.

People had to go two miles below the Quaker Church at Thorntown for their flour and meal, the amount of the former being limited, however. After some two years Mr. Longley and Col. Hocker told the people if they would donate enough money to buy an engine and boiler they would build a “corn cracker.” That was the first piece of machinery in the town, and it almost frightened the natives to death. When the steam was blown off for the first time they ran for their water buckets to put out the fire. The mill was a great help to the people, as the roads to Thorntown were almost impassible in those days, and even the streets in this town were so the women had to wear boots or ride on horseback. We had then an elegant residence called the “Steamboat.” It stood where the Rat Smith property now is. It was oval shaped, standing east and west as though it was ready to start up street through the mud and water we had then. One time we had a concert in the court house and everybody must go. It rained and rained, but go we must. We got all the umbrellas (not many) we could find, and some of us appropriated our plaid gingham parasols. The night was as dark, the mud as deep and the rain as copious as was ever known. On our way home I lost my parasol, but fortunately the next morning Wilson’s boys looked up Main street, about opposite the Collier residence, and there it stood stretched out over the street unharmed, except the part under mud. We had no sidewalks or ditches to carry off the water.

Uncle Sammy Strong had the only tannery here for a number of years, and he accumulated a handsome fortune at the business. His vats were where the elegant residence of Mrs. J. C. Daily now stands.

The 12th of August, 1852, the first train of cars reached the depot. What a celebration! Everybody and their children, old and young, were present. Some were frightened at the locomotive, and ran back and kept at what they thought would be a safe distance. There was a big dinner free to everybody. Mr. Zion had a long table spread in our yard, with green bushes for a covering, and fed two hundred for dinner and supper. After the railroad was completed, Mr. Zion donated to William Jenkins and Moses Hall, Sr., four acres of ground south of the railroad, on which to build a flour mill. In 1880 this mill was destroyed by fire.

Amelia Zion.
December 18, 1886.

Source Citation: Boone County History [database online] Boone County INGenWeb. 2007. <http://www.rootsweb.com/~inboone> Original data: Harden & Spahr. "Early life and times in Boone County, Indiana." Lebanon, Indiana. May, 1887, pp. 128-132.

Transcribed by: Julie S. Townsend - July 10, 2007