HISTORY OF
ORANGE COUNTY

CHAPTER 2

BY SELWYN A. BRANT

In early struggles for supremacy on the Western Continent between the nations of the Old World, nearly all of the Mississippi Valley gradually came under the dominion of France. This was acquired through the influence of the large number of ardent and zealous missionaries whom that country sent out in the latter part of the seventeenth and fore part of the eighteenth centuries. A number of trading posts were established throughout the whole of this vast tract of country from along the shores of the lakes and banks of important streams to the mouth of the Mississippi River, and from these places the peltry of the Indians was received in exchange for whatever gaudy and trifling ornaments would most attract the savages’ fancy. This, in connection with the religious influence of devout Catholics, won the heart and confidence of the red man toward the French. Almost without opposition France had thus secured control of all the land from the Alleghany Mountains to the Mississippi River. Near the middle of the eighteenth century England began to arouse herself to the situation. Her supremacy along the Atlantic was not questioned, and she had rested in contentment, satisfied with claiming the Pacific Ocean as the western boundary of her colonies. When her traders began to push beyond the mountains, they found themselves forestalled by the French, and thus the conflict began, which only ended with the French and Indian war in 1763, and with which the student of American history is familiar. In February of that year a treaty of Peace was signed at Paris in which France gave up all claims to any territory lying east of the Mississippi River, excepting the town of New Orleans and the island on which it is situated. Thus matters remained until the Revolution necessitated a new map of the American Continent.

The policy of the British Government seems to have retarded commerce with the Indians, who in turn despised the haughty and domineering spirit of the English. No doubt the foundation of Indian hostility to later pioneers of the West was laid in this early antipathy for the English, and which when once conceived was craftily nourished by the proud and unrelenting natives. Immediately prior to the war for Independence several large tracts of land were purchased, by companies organized for that purpose, in the territory northwest of the Ohio River.

ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS OF INDIANA

The most reliable information that can be obtained seems to establish the fact that nearly the whole of Indiana was originally inhabited by three different tribes of Indians, called the Twigtwees or Miamis, the Weas and the Piankeshaws. The last of these occupied nearly all of the Wabash Valley, and was a powerful factor in the celebrated Miami Confederacy. As the tide of immigration poured its throng of Europeans upon the Atlantic shore, and civilization began its westward march across the New World, the sullen savage disdaining the enlightenment of white men, retired constantly to the gloom and solitude of his native forests. Thus, in time, different tribes of Indians came to occupy the same territory. These later tribes were called "Permitted", and throughout the whole of Indiana these stranger Indians were early found. Some of them were the Delawares, Pottawattomies, Shawnees, Kickapoos, Wyandots and Senecas.

THE PIANKESHAWS

The Piankeshaws were one of the Algonquin tribes, and it was people of this nation that occupied the present county of Orange, although at a later date a few Wyandottes and Shawnees were settled here, and the Delawares had strong claim to the land through a treaty with the Piankeshaws in 1767. The boundary lines, as described in several Indian treaties, center in and cross Orange County. One of these is a line running from the mouth of Turtle Creek, on the Wabash River, in what is now Sullivan County, to a point about one mile north of the town of Orleans, and thence in a southwesterly course to a place near the present site of the village of Branchville, Perry County, and thence in a straight line to the mouth of White River. North of this line. it is said, the Piankeshaw Indians never ceded any land to the United States, although their allies, the Delawares, Twightwees and Weas did.

THE INDIAN CESSION TREATIES

At Vincennes, in August, 1804, the Delawares and Piankeshaws relinquished their claims to all land lying south of this tract, and south of a line beginning about four miles southwest from Paoli, on Section 21, running from that place to the Ohio Falls, at Jeffersonville. Beginning at a point fifty-seven miles east from Vincennes, a line was run to the old Indian boundary line, running from the Ohio River, at the mouth of the Kentucky River, to Fort Recovery. This starting point was about one mile north of the town of Orleans and the line connected with the other boundary at that place just mentioned, and intersected the old boundary where it crosses White Water River, in the extreme eastern part of the State, fifty miles north of the Ohio. South of this to the Ohio River all the land was ceded to the United States by certain chiefs and warriors of the Pottawattomie, Miami, Eel River, Delaware and Wea tribes. This treaty was made at Grouceland, near Vincennes, in August, 1805. Thus there is found to be no less than four separate treaties or deeds from the Indians to the United States, conveying in different tracts the land now embraced in Orange County. These were made as follows: At Fort Wayne, June 7, 1803; at Vincennes, August 18 and 27, 1804; at Grouceland, August 21, 1805; at Fort Wayne, September 30, 1809. In nearly all of these Gen. William H. Harrison was Commissioner, acting on the part of the Government.

LOCAL INDIAN VILLAGES

Concerning the more direct Indian occupants of this county, there is but little of reliable information to be found. It seems that the red men in the earliest times did not occupy much of the county as a permanent habitation, but lived at a distance along the larger streams and resorted hither in quest of game. A few small Villages were established at random, one of which was Shawnee, and stood on the banks of Lost River, not far from where that stream sinks in the northeastern part of the county. The chief of this vilLage was known as "King Billy", and is said to have had a red-headed white woman for a wife. After white men began to arrive there were but few Indians in the county, and these only in straggling and roving bands, sometimes for hunting. sometimes for pillage and plunder, and occasionally for bloodshed. Throughout the whole of the Wabash Valley great discontent and hatred was instilled into the Indians against the white settlers who were rapidly destroying their forest hunting grounds. Foremost among those who entertained this bitter hatred for the whites were the renowned Shawnee warrior, Tecumseh, and his brother, called the Prophet. Under their lead an Indian war was begun and only ended with the battle of Tippecanoe, in November 1811. Frequently during these years of terror and strife were the few inhabitants of Orange County compelled to fly to one of the early forts or block-houses that were then built for protection of the pioneers.

THE LOG HOUSES

Probably the first house of this kind in the county was built on the farm now owned by Mr. Samuel Mahan, in the northwestern part of Stampers Creek Township. This was known as the Moore Fort, and in his youth Mr. Edward Moore, now living at Orleans, lived there with his parents. The house was of the regular block style, and a few yards away a trench or deep ditch was dug entirely around it just inside of which was a row of split posts set into the ground slanting out over the ditch. This effectually prevented an approach from the outside to the house where the settlers were congregated. Farther north in the county was another on Lost River, in Orleans Township, on the farm now owned by George Wolfe. This was near the site of the old Shawnee village before spoken of. In Northeast Township, on the farm of Preston Tegarden, stood what was known in early times as the Maxwell Fort, and in its day was the one more frequently resorted to than any other in this part of the county. In the western part a fort was established at French Lick, and during the years when Tecumseh had stirred the Indians into frequent acts of hostility, a company of rangers was stationed at this place for the purpose of protecting the whites in this section. As a Government station this was maintained until about the year 1815.

MURDERS COMMITTED BY INDIANS

Orange County has been fortunate in the scarcity of its Indian murders. After the coming of white men the red natives were seldom seen except in small roving bands. Before this time nearly all of them had moved from this territory in accordance with the various treaties, and only returned at intervals, usually, perhaps in the ardor of the chase, sometimes with the object of wreaking a deep and merciless revenge upon the innocent frontier settlers. There is said to have been three white men killed in the county by the Indians. Concerning one of these there is much doubt and but little reliability. However, on the authority of Uncle Thomas Bedster, of Northwest Township, who is one of the oldest men and earliest settlers now living in the county, it seems that a man named Samuel Wilson was killed in Orangeville Township on the farm now owned by William C. Shirley, at a very early time. Mr. Bedster affirms the truth of this in an emphatic way, and no one was found to dispute it, but several had heard of the matter, although it had nearly escaped their memory. Nothing of the particulars could be learned, and this statement is given for whatever value it may bear in itself. About the year 1814 a man named Vest was shot and killed near where the present town of Orleans is situated. The particulars seem to be about as follows: Some horses were missing in the neighborhood of the Lost River settlement and a party of men were out searching for them. It was supposed that they had been stolen by a band of Indians that was at the time hovering in that part of the county, although this supposition proved to be erroneous. When at a place one-half mile northeast of the present town limits, the men were fired upon by Indians in ambush and Vest was instantly killed. The savages made good their escape, and the victim was buried upon the spot where he fell, and his grave is still pointed out by the citizens of Orleans as a monument of the only savage treachery that ever occurred to stain with blood the settlement of their prosperous community.

THE KILLING OF CHARLES

The murder of William Charles at or near the French Lick Fort, in the spring of 1813, is perhaps the best known of any deed ever committed in the county by the Indians, although many conflicting accounts are told of it. The one most reliable and trustworthy seems to be about as follows, given by Mr. Edward Moore, of Orleans, who, although not present at the time, was often with several members of the Charles family after its occurrence: The victim was a married man and father of one child at the time of the killing, and lived in the fort with his father, Joel Charles and the company of rangers. Charles was plowing in a field near the fort and the Indians crept close to him from the adjoining woods and shot him from their ambush behind a stump. They at once ran to him for the purpose of tomahawking and scalping him. When the killing was done the rangers were some distance away from the fort shooting at a mark, and were unable to reach Charles in time to render him any assistance. He was found with an arrow through one arm, and there were three tomahawk holes in his hat, probably made in their first hasty attempts to obtain the scalp. It is said that his wife was at the time on guard, or rather watching for Indians. This would indicate some apprehension of danger from that source, and if reports be true this was most likely the case. The cause was somewhat of a personal nature between the Indians and the occupants of the fort, and a narration of them would be both tedious and useless. The wife of Charles died in a few months after this of a broken heart and was always lamenting in maniacal tones the loss of her husband, and wore the hat which he had on at the time of his death.

INDIAN TRAILS

There seem to have been two important trails or forest roads that were traversed by the red man across Orange County. One of these was a route from Vincennes to the Ohio Falls and passed near what is now New Prospect in French Lick Township, through the town of Paoli and nearly over Albert’s Hill and thence took a southeasterly course, in nearly the same line as the turnpike, to the Ohio River. The other trail ran east and west across the northern part of the county passing near the town of Orleans. This was a road from Vincennes to Cincinnati and was called the Cincinnati Trace.

INDIAN CAMPING GROUNDS

Throughout the county there are several places peculiarly adapted for camping places and these were often utilized by parties of Indians while on bunting excursions or other temporary journeys to this region. Among the more important of these may be mentioned Valeene, the springs at the source of Stampers Creek, the rise of Lost River at the site of Orangeville, and on Patoka Creek near the town of Newton Stewart, and two miles south of Valeene. During the winter season the Indians were rarely troublesome to the whites, and their acts of hostility usually began in the spring when the "leaves were the size of squirrel ears." From that time until fall the early settlers would go in bands and attend to one another’s crops in order to present a more formidable opposition should there be any attempt at violence on the part of the natives. These, however, were few in Orange County and the people enjoyed much tranquility and freedom from Indian depredations. In the conspiracy of Tecumseh and his prophet brother, the Delawares, who then inhabited much of the White River country, refused to join and the same is probably true of both the Piankeshaws and Shawnees. As these Indians occupied the territory of Orange County it accounts for the comparatively peaceful times immediately prior to the battle of Tippecanoe. Soon after that event the Piankeshaws were sent to Missouri and Kansas and afterward all to Kansas. They have constantly grown less in number, much through the influence of whisky and disease. In 1854 they were united with the Weas, Peorias and Kaskasias, all numbering 259. In 1868 they numbered 179, and since then the Miamis have been annexed to them and are all in the Indian Territory at the present time. A brighter era seems to be upon them as they now own 52,000 acres of land, 3,000 of which are in cultivation and they live in good homes, dress like civilized people and their children attend schools of their own. Eight of their boys have come back to the land of their ancestors, and in 1883 were attending colleges in Indiana. The Delawares and Shawnees to the number of 1,000, were, in 1866, united to the Cherokees in the Indian Territory and are now the most advanced of any tribe of Indians in civilization and are said to be worth more per capita than any others.

THE MOUND BUILDERS

Throughout the entire extent of the Mississippi Valley may be found abundant and convincing evidence of a pre-historic race of humanity. Beyond this fact of existence but little is known. The time, habits, customs and origin of this long perished people are so deeply and obscurely veiled in unknown and unrecorded centuries that the most diligent and active investigation has hitherto failed to throw upon them more than a single ray of light. It would be foreign and out of place in the present work to attempt an elaboration of the various theories that have from time to time been projected by the different investigators concerning this extinct race. They are at best only theories, and their conclusions conjectures. Suffice it to say that this people have received their name, Mound Builders, from the numerous mounds and earthworks that are scattered more or less over most of the American Continent and are their works. Their civilization was considerable in advance of the Indians and they are supposed to have been an agricultural people, as indicated by the implements of various kinds found, and which they undoubtedly used for that purpose. By some archaeologists the Mound Builders are thought to be have been contemporaneous with the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians, while others rank them with Aztecs and Peruvians who peopled the torrid climes of the Western World. Some advance the idea that the Indians are descendants of this ancient race while others emphatically deny it and claim a separate origin for the Indians. In this it is undoubtedly true that the supposition of a distinct origin of these two races has the preponderance of evidence on its side.

THE PAOLI FORTIFICATION

There are in Orange County several traces of these Mound Builders, some of which are quite important and interesting to the archaeologist, and demonstrate a large population of this people. In many parts of the county arrow and spear heads are found in large quantities, especiaily around the larger springs and along the banks of streams. Besides these, are found in considerable numbers fleshing implements, stone axes and ornaments of curious fashion. About one mile east of Paoli, on the south bank of Lick Creek, is an important earthwork made by this primitive people in untold centuries of the past. It consists of two embankments, now about three feet high, at a distance ranging from about twelve to thirty feet apart, and nearly thirteen hundred feet in length. These begin upon the bank of the creek, and extend their full length in the form of the large end of an oval, returning again to the stream some distance further down. The ground around this embankment is of smooth and even surface, and many arrow-heads have been found. Growing upon these earthen walls are a large number of forest trees, some as much as three feet or more in diameter, and have of course grown since the building of the walls. Some of these trees undoubtedly represent no less than three hundred years. The height of the walls is said, and with no doubt of the truth, to be constantly decreasing. Excavations in several parts were made, although but little was found to indicate the purpose for which they were constructed. If there is any difference the outer wall is the higher one, and a cross section shows it to be made of fine dry dirt of the surrounding fields, while here and there scattered through it are slight traces of ashes and charcoal, and an occasional animal bone. This bank was probably built after the time of the inner one, and into it were thrown the refuse of the camp, which consisted largely of the camp-fire ashes and bones of such animals as they were accustomed to eat, and broken pottery. The other wall is made of the same kind of soil, but about half way down from the top is a layer of large flat stones contiguously arranged. These have been brought from the creek bottom, and vary considerably in size. Close to the surface on the inside of this wall a considerable number of broken pieces of pottery are found, mingled with more of ash and charcoal than appears in any other part of the entire embankment. These pieces of pottery are all blackened with fire, and being found with the ashes would lead to the conclusion that the cooking for the inhabitants was nearly all done close to this bank, or the ashes and pottery broken by accident were cast against the bank to be out of the way. This is farther confirmed by the shallow earth that covers them, for they were most likely left as they had been used, and all that now covers them has been washed down from the bank or has been deposited from the overflowing waters of the creek. A few ornaments have also been found, but so far as can be learned nothing of any particular consequence has ever been unearthed here.

To state the object and purpose of this large double embankment to its builders is only to conjecture. Some have thought it for sacrificial use, where the people met to perform their religious rites, whatever they may have been. Others have thought it to be sepulchral in nature, but of this there is scarcely any evidence in accordance with the general records of discovery, or opinions of archaeologists in matters of that kind. The best conclusion, and one that seems most plausable, is that these embankments were made and used entirely as a fortification in times of battle, and to ward off the encroachments of wild animals in times of peace and repose. There is little doubt that it was constantly inhabited as a village, although its confines may have been too limited to afford room for all, and the surplus population may have dwelt on the adjacent fields, resorting to the walls or fortification in times of danger. Being built upon the banks of the creek, and near a neighboring spring, the inhabitants were enabled to withstand a long siege without a failure in the water supply. Neither within nor without the walls were seen any mounds, although writers in the State Geological Report for 1875 claim to have observed twelve small ones within the enclosure "from one to two and a half feet high, eight feet in length by about four in width, the longest diameter being from northeast to southwest." Mounds of the same kind were seen outside along the banks of the stream, and were concluded to be "kitchen mounds", or places for the building of wigwams.

THE VALEENE FORTIFICATION

Another embankment similar to this Lick Creek fortification is said to have been upon the banks of Patoka Creek, on the farm of Samuel Harned, about one-half mile east of Valeene. It had but one wall, in much the same shape as the other one, and situated on a level piece of ground. This has been entirely destroyed by the plow, and it is said that many ornaments were found there. In the western part of the county, about six miles from Paoli, there is a burial mound that was opened a few years ago and a number of human skeletons exhumed, and the usual small ornaments and implements of various kinds were found. The mystery that enshrouds this ancient and long buried people is one of the most puzzling that confronts the modern scientists. These monuments lie promiscuously in the midst of our boasted and advanced civilization, reminding us of distant ages and races. From their tombs the bones of distinguished individuals of unknown nations come forth to stand ghastly in the recent halls of science. But all alike stand mute when questioned of the times and circumstances that brought them forth

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