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Worth Township
Worth Township - including
Whitestown
Worth Township is the baby township of the county. It was
an after thought. It was organized in 1851, twenty-one years
after the organization of the county. It is the smallest
township in the county as well as the youngest. It was made
by cutting four sections off of Perry, four from Eagle, five
from Union and six from Center township, making in all
nineteen sections. It is not only distinguished by being the
youngest and smallest in the county, but also the
levelest[sic] and the highest. It is a table land township
and has no stream of water in it, except it be the source of
Fishback. In fact the water is led out of the township by
ditches into Fishback creek; and the head waters of the
streams that constitute the sources of Eel river, Prairie
creek and other streams flowing northwest into Sugar creek,
and those flowing east into Eagle creek. This township was
not only covered with a dense forest and underbrush but also
with water a good part of the season that did not know which
way to run, and lolled around until the sun and earth drank
it up after a rain. Take it as a township it was the most
unpromising of all for settlement. We often wonder how it
was ever formed and what were the influences that led to its
formation. Some one must have had the apostolic idea and
could not be satisfied until there were twelve townships in
the county, or yet, again, there might have been a little
Hebrew in it, and one the descendants of Abram was
determined to have twelve tribes in Israel. At least some
one or more within its bounds went to the county
commissioners with a petition for a new township and it was
granted. It seems that the county commissioners of early
days granted almost any petition that came into the court
for the formation of the townships, and any farmer along the
border of any township that took a notion that he would like
to change residence would go into court and ask the
commissioners to move his farm. They would realize the
difficulty of moving the farm, although most of them would
float in that early day, and would just extend the township
line around it. When they made Center township, pussy-corner
was the game, and they tried to make a corner for each boy
and girl and staked off twenty-two corners. Some corners
were made for political convenience no doubt; some for
railroad taxes and some on account of streams. That is why
our township lines are so irregular. If we knew all the
pleadings in court for these changes, there might be some
interesting history connected with it.
Among the first white man to attempt to build homes in
this unpromising part of Boone county were Richard HALL,
John and James McCORD and James WHITE as early
as 1830. These were soon followed by Thomas HARMON,
Adam KETTERING, Joseph WHITE and John SMITH.
Within a few years William STATEN and scores of
others came flocking in. Henry LUCAS taught the first
school as early as 1837. Rev. John GOOD was the first
minister. Whitestown was organized about the same time as
the township and the building of the railroad.
You can poke all the fun at little Worth you please, but
after she got out of the woods and the water run off, she
proved to be a jewel of first water and shines out among her
sister townships today equal to the very best. She is
bounded on the north by Center and Union townships; on the
west by Center and Perry townships; on the south by Perry
and Eagle townships; on the east by Eagle and Union
townships. She is located mathematically as follows, to-wit:
Sections 35 and 36 in town 19 north, range 1 east, also
sections 1, 2 and 11 to 14 inclusive, and 23 to 26
inclusive, in town 18 north, range 1 east; also sections 6,
7, 8 and sections 17 to 20 and sections 29, 30, in town 18
north, range 2 east. She was covered with such sense forest
that the early settlers were delayed in cropping. The honor
of making the first crop is credited to James WHITE
and John McCORD.
The development of the township has been marvelous.
Although the youngest, she has measured up to her sister
townships in the county and her farm life is as highly
developed today as the best of them. The Big Four railroad
runs across her center from southeast to northwest, and on
this road near the center of the township is the thriving
town of Whitestown, the only town in the township. It is the
trade center, election center and is surrounded by as rich
and as beautiful country as there is in the county. You
could not say more than this of any county. The steam
railway is now paralleled by a traction line, which gives
ready transportation to any point. The roads of the township
have kept pace with the best and in all seasons of the year
you can go about with pleasure and comfort. There is nothing
omitted that is necessary for the comfort and happiness of
the people.
Her first school was a "Free School," supported by the
Congressional funds and have been so from the beginning,
saving a little subscription aid at the beginning. The
schools multiplied until there were eight, all brick. This
was one school to less than two and one-half sections. The
township readily fell into the consolidation plan of this
day. In 1906 there were eleven teachers with six months'
schools and no high school, tax levy one dollar and
eighty-two cents. In 1911 there were eight teachers, eight
months' school and three years' high school, tax levy, one
dollar and sixty-five cents. The benefits of consolidation
in this township are very evident. It had too many schools
to begin with; the happy location of the high school near
the center at Whitestown all worked for the advantage in
consolidation and its fruits are evident. Of late the
township has had trouble in regard to constructing a new
high school, but in a late decision of the court, it has
been settled in favor of the new building and it will be
built.
Churches
It was a happy circumstance for Worth township that the
principal town, Whitestown, was laid out about the same time
as the township and that it was centrally located. It
afforded church facilities for all the citizens. There were
no country churches established, hence, there were none to
pass away. At Whitestown there were three churches built.
The Evangelical Lutheran church with a membership in 1911 of
two hundred and forty-seven and in a growing condition. The
Baptist, membership one hundred and thirty and losing
ground. The Methodist, with ninety-five members, standing
still. The pastor of this church has in his circuit, five
churches with membership as follows: ninety-five,
fifty-nine, forty-nine, forty-four and six. These figures
are taken from the report of the Presbyterian Mission Board
of 1911. The same report states that in Boone county there
are at the above date eighty-two churches. Seventeen have
resident pastors. Fifty have non-resident pastors; fifteen
have no ministers. These churches are divided among
twenty-one different denominations, with scarcely any
strife.
Whitestown
This town is the capital of little Worth, the baby
township of the county. It is situated near the middle of
the township on the Chicago division of the Big Four, midway
between Zionsville and Lebanon, about seven miles from each.
It is the center of trade of the best agricultural districts
in the county. It was laid out in 1851 at the time the
railroad was built, on the land of Abram NEESE.
Harrison SPENCER is said to be the first man to sell
goods in the town. He was soon followed by Henry LUCUS
and William LAUGHNER. Isaac DYE and Alfred
OSBORN were the first to venture to build a grist mill
to manufacture breadstuff for the people. The milling
privileges at Whitestown were poor. They would have to go to
Zionsville, Mechanicsburg or Thorntown to have grain made
into flour or meal. There was no water power in Worth
township so the early citizen had to depend upon steam. The
first mill was in a few years burned and Henry LUCUS
rebuilt it. The third mill was built by J. W. BOWSER
and was the most improved pattern. It gained a reputation
throughout the county and other counties for good work and
was patronized from near and far.
Among other early business men may be mentioned F. M. &
Caesar ECHMAN, NEESE & KEEFE, Drs. I.
T. ROSS, STARKEY, LARIMORE and HARDY.
The early school houses and churches were up-to-date, and
every interest of the community was looked after with great
care and earnestness. The village soon rose to be an
important trading center for the township and from other
townships and has held the position to the present time.
Worth township could not do without Whitestown. There, all
elections are held, and all the business of the township is
transacted. It is the center of trade, of politics, of
social interests and of every other interest of the people.
It is near the highest point in the county and is trying to
conduct itself so as to be worthy of the respect of all its
neighbors and hold a high place in the estimation of its
neighbors.
Submitted by: Amy Davis
Source Citation: Boone County Township Histories
[database online] Boone County INGenWeb. 2006.
<http://www.rootsweb.com/~inboone> Original data: Hon.
Leander M. Crist. "The History of Boone County, Indiana,"
Indianapolis : A. W. Bowen, 1914.
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