Brown Township

Brown Township

Seemed like a good idea to do an article on each of the townships – will do them in alphabetical order, so here ya’ go. Early Brown Township’s large land owners carried family names of Allen, Brush, Canine, Carman, Clearwater, Davis, Fisher, Finch, Galey, Gott, Hicks, Jones, Kern, and Vancleave. Many others received small original land grants but these were the multi-owners (over 300 acres). Many of them came from Shelby and Mercer County, Kentucky (Brush, Canine, Galey, Hicks, Vancleave) while others arrived from Ohio) and Pennsylvania. Mainly they farmed, obviously, but some had other businesses, as well.

Deere’s Mill was built by Joel Deere who was not an original land owner but still a very early settler. The original mill was destroyed by high water and Joel and William Canine rebuilt it, this was a saw and grain mill. The saw mill was put to good use with so much natural timber near the Shades area – Beech, Oak, Black Walnut, Poplar and many evergreens readily available. Other mill owners were Caleb Conner, Samuel Vancleave, Thomas Glenn and Thomas Armstrong who built the first wool carding mill. These were all not only early Brown Township businesses but very early in the county, as well.

One of the few roads (in a broad sense) in early Montgomery was the Old State Road that went from Terre Haute to Lafayette and was a stage route for travelers, as well as for those carrying US mail. The Halfway House right outside of present day Waveland built in 1822 by William Moore was the stopping place for many a traveler with rooms to rent, food and water for those growing weary on the trek. The old State Road 47 built in 1919 was rerouted away from the home, off the old US stage route in the 1930s to present-day 47. The most famous visitor was General William Henry Harrison and 25 of his soldiers. They were all well-pleased with their treatment. By the late 1820s, Moore would see well over 300 per day pass on the trail and many stopped for his family’s hospitality. Practically in Moore’s backdoor, John Milligan put up a crude storeroom then naming the town Waveland (1834) after the plantation Waveland at his Kentucky home. He built the town literally, with many stores and homes, renting them and because of a hip injury, he would go on his horse from door to door bellowing “Hallo” and his tenants would come out to pay him. He was the first Post Master of Waveland, as well.

As early as 1855, area farmers worked together and created the Russellville Union Agricultural Society which was located in Brown Township and was made up of 35 acres where a couple of times a year they’d get together for what was similar to our 4-H fairs, with competitions of various sorts and one of the big affairs was always horse racing. A similar affair went on for decades.

Waveland and Browns Valley were (and are) the two main towns, Waveland having been quite the thriving one, with two railroads in its time (Midland, mainly freight vs. passengers and the Vandalia the opposite although both had both).

Ted Whitehead wrote a great Ode to Waveland

When I think of Waveland

In the days of Yore

Of Burrins and Sharpes

And Charlie Moore’s Store

And of that old pot-bellied stove

We used to gather around

In those winter days of old

When snow was all around

How Mr. Moore would give us

A stick of gum or two

We’d carry in the coal for him

When we were kids back then

There was a man named Galloway

He sold cars you see

He told how fast they’d run

Back in 1933

There was a man named Dillman

He sold windmills here and there

Those old mills pumped water

When the wind was blowin’ fair

And every Wednesday night

Everybody came to town

For there was free movies

For us folks … all around

Certainly, it was a relaxing, God-loving, helpful people place.

However, in 1873, Waveland was practically wiped-out by fire. Since that time, Waveland has had a good Fire Department. The first modern engine, having been purchased in 1920, and the actual Volunteer Fire Department incorporating (basically) in 1950 by Fred Bazzani, and Larry Servies (who was in the group over 50 years), with several others. Today, Waveland still has a strong and active group.

H.E. Rhoads manufactured wagons (this would make a great historical topic as the county had several wagon makers) for many years; in 1874, there were 88 men who had businesses in Waveland. In the 1940s, Mike and George Good had a bus service for many years from Waveland to Indianapolis and Crawfordsville to Lafayette and somewhere in there to Terre Haute. Another long-time business was Whitecotton’s Hardware, Myers Upholstery, Hunt and Fullenwider’s televisions, Fred Bazzani’s carpet laying, Machledt (later with Servies and then Morgan), Moore’s, Harmon’s, Coleman’s groceries – well, and the list could go on!

One of the first, if not the first school was Waveland Academy, a Presbyterian based one that existed from 1849-1878 and closed due to the free school system. The curriculum at the Academy was very tough and probably Waveland and Brown Township’s most famous son was Theodore Clement Steele, who became a world-famous Impressionist Artist taught there to pay for his tuition as his father had passed away. Rev. LF Leake, John Coyner and Henry S. Kritz were the three main men to head the school. In the 1880s there were twelve schools in Brown Township, including two high schools (Browns Valley and Waveland). Tough verbal and written tests for a dozen might create only three graduates. The Waveland HS most remembered was built in 1912 by Wavelandite, James Boswell. Later, Alamo consolidated for a short few years then all went on to Southmont HS, Waveland grade school (until it too was consolidated with New Market). Gone are the little country schools, for sure.

Entertainment for the township included a Gun Club/Conservation Club not far out of Waveland, fun street movies, school and community bands, baseball in school and play, Shades State Park, a Manual labor Institute beginning in 1855 with 500 books in its library; various groups, such as IOOF; Free & Accepted Masons (1863); Ancient Order of United Workmen (1879); Book Clubs; Singing; Priscilla Club which was instrumental in beginning the current excellent Waveland library; Current Events club; visiting, reading, dances, spelling and quilting bees and in 1909, Waveland hosted a huge Chautauqua with William Jennings Bryant as the big draw, with many other performers, a circuit riding preacher.

In both Browns Valley and Waveland, church was probably the big entertainment. In both cases the church services were early on few and far between, often preached by a circuit minister in someone’s home. John Brush likely had the first Sunday School as early as 1826 and his daughter Mary Ann Brush McCormick the first Women’s group. The Methodists began about two years thereafter when Waveland began a church in the little city. Near Browns Valley in 1828, John Stubbins and a couple of other families began the Providence Presbyterian Church and a large majority of the early settlers were Baptist with one at both the main towns as well as Freedom Baptist. Christian Churches were also in both towns, and Browns Valley still has two active churches, Waveland one. Covering most of the 1900s, there were Baptist, Christian, Methodist churches in BV and Waveland, adding Presbyterian there as well. Browns Valley in the 1900 century had two dry goods stores, a general store, three groceries, a hardware, barber, four carpenters, painter, post office, blacksmith, huckster, electrician, bank, livery, feed barn, huckster, ice house and two doctors. For 30 years or so the Reddens had a super gas station at the turn in the road.

Now, it is not to say that these two towns were the only ones, as there was Antioch just east of Waveland that had a few homes and a Christian Church; Deerfield, near the Shades which was basically a little burg where Deers Mill Bridge is today; Fairview which vied for the honor of the main town. It is about half way between Waveland and Browns Valley but nothing is left of it. Pine Grove was a station stop about ½ way between Waveland and Browns Valley on the south side of the road, Pine Hills which today is a nature preserve and we can’t forget that a portion of New Market is also in Brown Township. Sugar Creek, Indian Creek, Demaree Creek (small branch off of Indian Creek) Old Shoe Branch (found on old maps) which was probably Oldshue Branch and was a small creek on the large Oldshue farm near Browns Valley are basically the water ways, Indian Creek at one time being fairly deep and navigatable.

The True American newspaper was printed from 1851-54; the Waveland News for three years; Waveland Enterprise had 1000 copies in the 1860s, the Cricket in the 1870s, Waveland Item for just two years and a Waveland Call and Waveland Banner extremely brief, were newspapers I don’t believe any copies exist at this time; however from 1884 for over 40 years, the Waveland Independent thrived and was known as one of the best in the state. Thomas Edward Huston and local minister, CN McBrayer both for several years had the Independent and in 1955 it changed to the Tri-County News until it went out of business in the late 1960s or early 1970s.

Soldiers have always been important to the community, Irishman, Alexander Foster being the only Revolutionary Soldier in the township buried in the old Indian Creek cemetery. Samuel Newell may be as he was in the 1840 pension census in the township and died in September the next year but no proof. War of 1812 has at least nine; the Civil War gave Brown Township 34 casualties, mainly from the 38th and 40th Indiana Infantries. At least 60 went to World War I, one killed in the Korean, so many wonderful men in WWII, several went to the Vietnam War and Brian Bowman who lost his life in Desert Storm.

Prior to WWII, there was the CCC camp at the Shades which provided several husbands for the local ladies, as well as readied (don’t think that was the purpose – it was a WPA work program helping farmers with ditching, fence building and the like) many for WWII. Bill Search ran the camp and provided much entertainment after the work was done (baseball, basketball).

One of the most exciting happenings was on February 6, in 1932 when the local bank was robbed well, almost. Outlaws were blasting the bank vault open but they only got through the first section. Telephone lines were cut but not until telephone operator, Ruth Morgan (who later had this story along with several told on the old television show, This Is Your Life) got out word and Howard Worl climbed a pole to send out a message. Seven robbers got away but not with the money.

So, here you have a look at Brown Township and its main towns and such. As with all our small towns there are advantages of living in one. Make friends for life, beautiful areas, know almost everyone, work together to get things done – the list goes on. Brown Township has such beauty and large farms that made an impact on the communities in the early days as well as today.