HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY
CHAPTER 3
SETTLEMENT OF FRENCH LICK TOWNSHIP
One of the most important townships in Orange County is French Lick, so named from the famous springs in its bounds. In the early history of the county and until 1847, this was known as Southwest Township, but in June of that year by an act of the County Board it was changed to its present name. Its area is fifty-three square miles, being the largest but one in the county, and is situated in the middle of the three western townships. There is a tradition among the people in this part of the county that a settlement of French was made here in this township sometime late in the eighteenth century, but that it was finally broken up by the hostility of Indians. The cause of this early settlement is said to have been the salt found in this region. It is also said that the last of these people when driven away by the savages, threw a large number of kettles and other articles into the river, and that search was several times made for these by the first settlers of which there is no reliable account. Of course nothing of the kind was ever found, but the probability of there having been a class of these early French traders here is quite strong. Almost at the very outset of the eighteenth century, a post was established at Vincennes and at the time of the Revolution was a strong and well-settled community. As this part of Orange County is only about fifty miles directly east of Vincennes, there is no more reasonable supposition than that the people would, in the course of nearly a hundred years, push this far into the wilderness, and finding what was apparently a rich saline deposit, locate with the object of manufacturing salt. It bears an evidence of this in the very name, for the oldest settlers now living will say that the name was derived from the fact of it having once been a French settlement, and that they came from around Vincennes. The water here being brackish it was of course a great resort for deer, buffalo and other animals of the forest, and was what is commonly known as a "lick," hence the French and the "lick" made it a French Lick. At the first surveying of land here the first twelve Sections of Township 1 north, and Sections 13 to 36 inclusive, except 16 of Township 2 north, all in Range 2 west, was reserved as saline land. After several unsuccessful attempts to make salt on this land it was finally disposed of as State property. The following act of the Legislature was approved January 20, 1826:
"Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, that Thomas F. Chapman, of Orange County, be and he is hereby authorized and empowered to employ and contract with a suitable person to bore for salt water at or near the salt spring called the French Lick, on the lands reserved for salt springs in Orange County, upon the condition and understanding that the person so employed shall bore a depth not exceeding 200 feet with a diameter of at least two and a half inches, and on the completion of the boring aforesaid, the said Thomas F. Chapman is hereby authorized to draw on the Treasurer of State in favor of the person so employed for the amount thereof which shall not exceed $2.50 for each perpendicular foot so bored as a full compensation therefor; said draft of the said Thomas F. Chapman, the Auditor of the public accounts is hereby authorized to audit, and the Treasurer of State to pay out of any monies in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. This act to take effect from aud after its passage."
In accordance with this act, William Craig was employed to bore the whole 200 feet, but it was of no avail. By this time every one had become thoroughly satisfied that salt was not present in sufficient quantities to pay for the expense of making it, and as a result the following memorial from the State Legislature to Congress was approved January 23, 1829:
To the Honorable, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled:
Your memorialists, the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, respectfully represent: That the Sixth Section of an Act of Congress of the United States, to enable the people of Indiana Territory to form a Constitiution and State Government and for the admission of said State into the Union, on an equal footing with the original States, approval April 19, 1816, provides that all salt springs within the said Territory. and all land reserved for the use of the same, together with such other lands as may by the President of the United States he deemed necessary and proper for working said salt springs, shall be granted to the said State for the use of the people of said State, And, whereas, there has been reserved for the use of the State of Indiana one township of land, being Township 1 and 2 north. Range 2 west commonly called the French Lick Township, for the purpose of making salt thereon; and, whereas, all attempts to make salt on said township have hitherto proved abortive, and in the above recited Act of Congress it is provided that the Legislature of Indiana shall never sell or lease the same for a longer period than ten years at any one time; therefore, your memoralists respectfully request your honorable body to pass an act authorizing the Legislature to sell said township in fee simple and to appropriate the proceeds of such sale to the use of township or primary schools under the direction of the General Assembly of the State of Indiana.* * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * *
Approved January 23, 1829.
In consequence of this the land was sold sometime early in the thirties at public sale.
Other than the French before spoken of, Joel Charles is said to have been the first settler in this township and located near the present site of the Springs. He had a large family and for some time lived in the fort that was located there, and where a company of troops were for several years stationed. This was during and after the war of 1812, when the Indians were more then usually hostile, and the date of Mr. Charles’ coming was probably as early as 1812. Samuel Cobb. who was familiarly known as Judge, was one of the pioneers in this neighborhood. William Pinnick was another that came with a large family of boys and helped to clear up and populate the western part of the county, where his descendants have ever since been among the best citizens. Edward Moore, Sr., was among the first and followed the gunsmith trade for some time. Two of his sons were John and Edward, who are yet living, the latter at Orleans. Other early settlers were John Lashbrook. Edley Campbell, Thomas Giles, Captain of the Militia, Mark Rutherford, Isaac and George Wolfington, Clayton Taylor, Basil Payne, Joshua Briner, Samuel Scarlett, Abraham Osborn and Samuel Morgan. The following return of an election will give some idea of whom the settlers were in this township in the year 1817.
At an electon held at the house of Joel Charles on the 8th day of March 1817, for the purpose of electing one Justice of the Peace for the Southwest Township in Orange County, Joshua Nicholas received 5 votes, Adlai Campbell 6, Joel Charles 13. "We hereby certify that an election has been held agreeable to law at the house of Joel Charles on the 8th of March, 1817, in the Southwest Township of Orange County, for the purpose of electing a Justice of the Peace, wherein Joel Charles was elected. Given under our hands and seals. John Dougherty and Cornelius Williamson, Judges; Samuel Cobb and Elijah Rush, Clerks. Voters, James Martin, William McDowell, Thomas Smith, John Orlan, Reuben Hazlewood, James Pinnick, Edward Bryant, Hiram Martin, Henry Dougherty, Meredith Hazlewood, James Porter, Samuel Dougherty, Michael Miller, Nathaniel Pinnick, Elijah Rush, Cornelius Williamson, Samuel Cobb, William Pinnick, Martin Nicholas, John Dougherty, Joseph Nicholas, Joel Charles, Adlai Campbell; total, twenty-four." On November 11, 1811, Joel Charles entered 100 acres of land in Section 6, in Township 1 north, Range 1 west, and on March 24, 1812, Henry Dougherty entered 160 acres in Section 29, Township 2 north, Range 1 west. Other land entries in this township up to the year 1820 were as follows: James Pinnick, 1813; James Porter, 1814; Josephus Hazlewood, 1815; Reuben Hazelwood, William Wells, Edward Moore, Thomas Leonard, James Wolfington, Samuel Dougherty, 1816; William Charles, Joseph Con, 1817; George Wolfington, John Orton, 1818; Mark Rutherford, Lewis Coombs, 1819. This gives a total of sixteen entries of land on the twenty-four sections in this township that were not reserved for saline purposes, showing that immigration was slow in its movements to this part of the county during its first settlement.