Because of the size this is being sent in three parts. This is part
one of three.
This is an essay about Johnson Township dating from 1925. About
two-thirds of the way through, about farming it refers to "tiptops".
Does anyone know what they are?
History Of Johnson Township, by Mabel Seibel
First Prize Essay ($5) in Farmers' Institute Essay Contest
First printed in "The Sandy Grit", written by students of Decker High
School
Decker Indiana, February 14, 1925
Reprinted in the North West Trail Tracer June 1987
Johnson Township is one of the southern townships of Knox County,
Indiana. It is bounded on the north by Vincennes township, on the
east by Harrison township, on the west by Decker and Vincennes
townships
Johnson township is a part of what was once the Northwest Territory.
It was divided into five territories namely, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio,
Michigan and Wisconsin. Indiana territory was formed July the 4th,
1800 with Vincennes as the capital. In 1816 Indiana was admitted to
the Union as a state with the capital at Corydon.
Knox county had been organized ten years before the territory was
organized, but was not reduced to its present size until 1817. The
township of Johnson is very irregular, due to the different methods of
surveying used. It was named in honor of Thomas Johnson, and early
pioneer and land holder.
In early times the county was covered with timber through which the
Indians stalked the deer. There is some evidence of the township
having been inhabited by mound builders even before the Indians. What
appears to be mounds built by these ancient people have been found in
the eastern part of the township. It is not known whether the mounds
were the burying places of these people or dwellings.
There are probably many burying places of the Indians in the
township, but one especially noted is located on the farm of S. A.
Jordan joining the late C. H. Yates farm. Old men remember excavating
the graves and finding mussel shells, with which they decorated the
graves and human bones.
The first white settlers were the French. They came here about the
latter part of the eighteenth century. They were Roman Catholics and
established the St. Thomas church as early as 1843. There was no
church at first and the place of worship was the dwelling of Antonie
Carie.(Antoine Carre?) A priest visited this place two Sundays of
every month until August the thirtieth, 1834, when a church site was
purchased from the United States government. On this site was built a
small log church which was dedicated to God under the patronage of St.
Thomas the Apostle, and here the faithful worshiped for more than
forty years. In 1878 the present frame building was built. Reverend
Father John F. Stanton who was the first resident pastor. The
parochial school, a two-story structure, was erected in 1900. The
Benedictine Sisters of Ferdinand, Indiana, were the first teachers.
There was a membership of 650 in the Church.
The next settlers were the native Americans. These settled in
various parts of the township, their main settlement being on White
River on the old stage coach road. This road lay between Terre Haute
and Evansville, and the old stage coach made the trip about twice a
week. There was a station about a mile and one half from the river
where horses were exchanged. Four horses were driven to the stage
coach and covered twelve miles at a stretch. A part of the old stage
coach station still stands but has been remodeled into a residence on
the farm of Louis Shultz, now occupied by the widow Jane Frederick and
sons. This station was the scene of much drinking, carousing, horse
thieving and throat cutting in older days, and its past reputation has
descended upon the nearest settlement which is Decker. People living
in other neighborhoods yet think of the people in this way, although
Decker is the home of many cultured, refined and educated people. This
settlement was the Old Post. The stage coach stand was on the farm of
the Rehwald brothers. It was a brick structure and was torn down and
the bricks were used in building foundations of houses that are still
standing.
The next settlers were the Pennsylvania Dutch, who came here about
1832. These have inter-married until the original stock cannot be
found.
The Germans were the next settlers here, they arrived about 1857. In
1858 an Evangelical church was built on the Bloebaum property. Near
this church was an old Drennon burying ground. This has been
cultivated for a number of years.
In 1869 a log church was built where the Lutheran church now stands.
This was torn down in 1881 and the present building was erected. There
is a parochial school in connection with the church.
The original Evangelical church was built in 1864 as a Democratic
Presbyterian, but was later sold to the Evangelicals. It was used
until 1906, when benches and bell and other equipment were sold to the
United Brethren people at Iona, whose church had just burned. The
present Evangelical church was erected at this time.
The oldest church in the township is the church at West Salem. No one
living now can re-member any one who was living at the time it was
built. The history of Knox and Green counties records the
establishment of a church in 1828 at Salem. It was built as a union
church and was erected without regard to denominational affinity. An
old paper recently found in the present church tells about disbanding
the soldiers in 1813, after the battle of Tippecanoe. Each soldier
was given a deed for some land. Daniel Frederick received the site of
the present church and deeded it to church and school purposes
forever. This was also the first school in the township. This old log
building was destroyed and a frame one was erected in 1774(1874?),
which is the present building.
In 1890 the American Protestants built the church at Iona; this was
destroyed by fire and in 1906 the present church was built.
In 1885 the old Union Church at Decker was erected. Bowman Veron
deeded the present site to the six trustees who supervised the
building of the church. The Union church was formerly used by the
United Brethren denomination but has been abandoned since their new
building has been erected.
The next church to be built in Decker was the Methodist, built in
1892.
The Baptist church was built in Decker in 1906; this was destroyed by
fire in 1918 and the present structure was built. The lot for this
church was given to the General Baptist denomination by Mr. James
Case. Mr. Case did not live to see the church built for he died of
heart failure on the present church site.
The Trinity church was erected at the first part of the twentieth
century, 1900 or 1901; it replaced the old Barekman chapel which was
destroyed by fire six or seven years before. It was across the road
from the present church.
Recopied by Henry Lauber May 27th, 1999.
Part two of three tomorrow