A LITTLE PARKE COUNTY HISTORY LESSON

By: Karen Zach

The third session of the Indiana legislation held Jan 9, 1821 at Corydon established Parke County. What beckoned early settlers was good water, good land and beautiful country. That is still true today. Parke County is located 55 miles west of Indianapolis. The county seat is Rockville, located in Adams Township.  Other communities include Montezuma (Reserve Township); Bellmore, Hollandsburg (Union Township); Bridgeton (Raccoon Township); Rosedale (Florida Township); Mecca (Wabash Township); Lodi (Liberty Township); Mansfield, Lena (Jackson Township); Judson, Marshall (Washington Township); Guion, Milligan, Portland Mills (Greene Township); Annapolis, Bloomingdale (Penn Township); Byron (Howard Township).

This sent to me by Debbie Barker Rawlings of Hagerstown, MD

? paper, Jan 23, 1932 

 Rockville was laid out in the fall of 1823 on land donated by Arthur PATTERSON, Andrew and Aaron HAND and James B. M(?)artin who were the first settlers of the site.  The county seat was established at Rockville in 1834 (?) after the courts had been held for some time in Roseville and Armiesburg.  The town was named after the characteristics of the county.  Within the county's boundaries are found  some of the finest rock formations in the state and have been in... in Turkey Run State Park.  Ray built the first house in Rockville.  It was a log cabin near the courthouse square.  He built and operated the first tavern in 1824.  The first white child in the town was James B. Ray, son of Andrew Ray.  The first brick house was built by Matthew NOEL in 1827.  .. of the town was slow for .. years because of the location .. an inland city and because of inaccessibility on account of .. roads.  The first sale of lots was in .. and the sale was confined to .. on the courthouse square.  Prices ranged from $10 to $50.  Rockville had a destructive .. in 1869, but it proved to be a .. instead of a handicap later on because it led to the construction of much more extensive buildings than before.  One of the most important events in the early history of Rockville was the completion of the Evansville and Crawfordsville Railroad which was begun in .. and finished in 1859.  (Sorry the copy was cut off)