At the first session of court held in Posey county, which convened January 6, 1815, at the house of Absalom Duckworth, John Graddy was recommended to the governor for justice of the peace for Lynn township, Peter Wilkinson and Nathan Ashworth for Big Creek township, William Wagner and S. R. Marrs for Casselberry township. For these three townships, respectively, were recommended Charles Symmons, Samuel Canady and Robert Denny for constables, John Talbert for county surveyor and Samuel Jones for coroner.

For the administration of the public affairs of the townships, the following offices were established : Inspector of elections, assessor, overseer of the poor, school superintendent, constable and justice of the peace.

At the March term in 1817 the board of commissioners appointed all the township officers in each township, and ordered an election held in each township on April 12, 1817, to elect justices of the peace, fixing the places for holding the elections as follows:
For Marrs township at house of William Hutchinson.
For Black township at house of Thomas Givens.
For Robb township at house of Langston Drew.
For Smith township at house of George Smith.
For Wagnon township at house of William Johnson.
For Lynn township at Harmonic.

BLACK TOWNSHIP. Black township was named after the three brothers, Hugh, William and Thomas Black, who were highly respected by their acquaintances, and who were among the early pioneers of this part of the county. The township was organized March 24, 1817, by the county commissioners who were in session at Blackford, and included what is known now as Point township, but from August 14, 1821, till May 13, 1822, was called Daniel township, in honor of John Daniel, the first permanent settler in that part.

The first election held in this township was at the house of Thomas Givens in Mt. Vernon.

The early land entries were as follows: James Moore, 1816; Amos Robinson, 1807; Thomas Duckworth, 1817; Absalom Duckworth, 1811; Sylvester French, 1818; Anson S. Andrews, 1818; Daniel A. Willis, 1818; Elisha Phillips, 1818; James Duckworth, 1817; Samuel Phillips, 1818; Absalom Willis, 1816; Alexander Willis, 1813; Daniel Barton, 1817; Edward Blount, 1817; Joseph Culley, 1819; Reason Cavin, 1816; F. and S. Culley, 1817; Joseph P. Coburn, 1818; Aaron Moore, 1819; David R. A. Bradley, 1819; William Moffit, 1818; Aaron Burlison, 1818; Andrew McFaddin, 1812; James Moore, 1817; B. W. Moore, 1812; Samuel Gill, 1807; John Bradley, 1819; Solomon Nelson, 1813; Christopher Nelson, 1818; Edward Trafford, 1818; Samuel Jones, 1816; William Russel, 1818; John Burlison, 1819; Elijah Culley, 1819; David Thomas, 1814; Robert Castles, 1817; Thomas Nesler, 1816; Samuel Jones, 1807; Samuel Gregg, 1814; Thomas Templeton, 1815; Samuel Aldridge, 1813; Thomas Givens, 1807; William Wier, 1807; Gen. William Henry Harrison, 1807 (section 8, town 7 south, range 13 west) ; Henry P. Colvin, 1818; John Russel, 1817; Jabez Jones, 1807; John Caldwell, 1815; Thomas Miller, 1814; John Warrick, 1811 ; Peter Wilkinson, 1817; Joseph Johnson, 1816; John Goad, 1819; Charles Allison, 1818; Jacob Kern, 1818; Samuel Eblin, 1816; Francis Miller, 1816; Aaron Robinson, 1808; John Phillips, 1816; Mark Barrett, 1816; Thomas Willie, 1817; Lowry Hay, 1812; John Walker, 1817; James Black, 1811.

In 1810 James Black built the first mill in the township. It was a horse-mill. In 1817 he built a water-mill on Big Creek and afterwards moved his horse-mill to the same place for use when the water was too low.

In 1820 Hugh Todd built a horse-mill about eight miles northwest of Mt. Vernon.

In 1831 Darius North, Virgil Soaper and Andrew McFadden built the first steam mill in the township at Mt. Vernon. It was at first a sawmill, burrs being added later for grinding corn, and finally changed to a grist mill and distillery.

In 1832 John Weir built a water mill within the city limits of Mt. Vernon, but soon after moved it to the river bank and changed it to a steam mill.

The first tannery in Posey was built by Adam Albright in 1810, on the farm known as the "Old Jordan Place," five miles northwest of Mt Vernon. This was before the quick process of tanning was known.

LYNN TOWNSHIP. Lynn township was organized by the board of county commissioners in 1817, and embraced at that time a part of Harmony township. It was named after Dan Lynn, the first representative of Posey county in the legislature, and who was also a member of the convention that adopted the constitution when Indiana was admitted into the Union.

The first election in this township was held in New Harmony, or Harmonic, as it was then known.

Among the early settlers of the township were: Samuel Eblin, who settled in the township about 1814. John Server was a Methodist class leader, a justice of the peace and a kind of lawyer. The Goad family, who were prominent in the township, came from Kentucky. Henry Kivett and Samuel York were two other early settlers. Billy Alexander, another settler, had sons : John, William and Silas. John Noel came from Ohio and settled in the township in 1820; he raised quite a large family.

Early land entries were: George Rapp and association, 1815; Alexander Heyman, 1816; John Saltzman, 1816; Frederick Rapp, 1817; Aquilla Mathews, 1816; Michael Saltzman, 1816; David Lynn, 1815; Abel Mathews, 1816; Robert Wilson, 1815; John Wilson, 1816; Thomas Miller, 1815; Absalom Kinson, 1819.

John Turney and Elias Altizer were the first overseers of the poor. Altizer was inspector of elections before the township was separated from Harmony township.

John Curtis and David Love were constables in 1818, and Frederick Rapp was appointed superintendent of school section for Lynn township in March, 1817. James Black, in 1817, built a mill on Big Creek, near the upper New Harmony and Mt. Vernon stage route. This was a water mill and in 1823 he built a horse mill near by. The same year William Wier built a horse mill on Mill creek, in Lynn township, and Abner Coates built a mill on Coates' creek in the same township in 1825.

George W. Thomas built an ox tread mill on Big creek in 1836, and it burned down in 1841, but it was rebuilt soon after and changed to a steam mill. This was burned also in 1848, but Mr. Thomas erected a new mill, which he used till it was worn out. Grafton now marks the location of it.

POINT TOWNSHIP. Point township was organized in May, 1822, and so named for the reason that it is the extreme point of Posey county, and of the State. For a short time previous to its organization, it was known as Daniel township, in honor of John Daniel, the first permanent settler there. Early settlers were : Thomas Jones, Corduff , Samuel Black, Nathaniel Miller, Robinson family, Roach, Summers, George Henchet, James Conner, William and Isaac James, Squire Love, Capt. Henry Stripe, and the families of Dixon, Greathouse and Bacon.

Early land entries prior to 1820: William Broadhead, 1800; Samuel Kimmel, 1809; Seth Hargrave, 1813; James Black, 1813; Samuel Al- dridge, 1814; George Rowe, 1814; Hugh Todd, 1814; Robert Hargrave, 1814; Nathaniel Ewing, 1814; Samuel W. Parr, 1814; Joseph Kennedy, 1814; Francis Black, 1815; Aaron Bacon, 1815; Thomas Jones, 1817; Elisha Boudinott, 1817; Christopher Ashworth, 1817; Martin Shlater, 1818; George Hershman, 1818; John Hamilton, 1818; David Greathouse, 1818; William F. Daniel, 1819.

The first election in the township was held at the house of Daniel Owen for the purpose of electing a justice of the peace and the regular township officers.

The first white man to settle in Posey county is supposed to have settled in what is now Point township, near the mouth of the Wabash river, some time in the latter part of the eighteenth century. He was an Irishman by the name of Thomas Jones. He remained there until his death in 1826. A man named Roach settled at the mouth of the Wabash and established a landing and trading point for the flatboat business at that place, and did a good business with the river men. Mr. Roach died in this township in 1848.

Bone Bank, a famous Indian burying place in this township, now 1913, about wiped out by the cutting of the Wabash river, was situated on the Indiana bank of that stream, about three miles from its mouth, where it empties into the Ohio. It was on a high spot about sixty feet above the river. It was evidently the burying place for centuries of the Indian tribes of this section of America. Pottery, implements of warfare, metal articles of personal adornment and vast quantities of human bones were found there by the early settlers. Within the memory of many of the citizens of Point township, the Wabash flowed from 1,500 to i, 800 feet to the westward of its present course, a forty-acre corn field lying between the river and Bone Bank. As the river cut into the old burial ground bones were exposed in such quantities that they glistened in the sun's rays and were easily seen by those navigating the river. At the present writing, 1913, the river has cut away all but about loo feet of this mound and is rapidly approaching a previous channel to the east of the mound from which it changed its course so long ago that giant trees, some of them six to eight feet in diameter, have grown in the center of the former watercourse.

HARMONY TOWNSHIP Was organized August 14, 1821, and was named after the Harmonic Society, who were its first settlers. The history of the township is so interwoven with the Rapp and Owen communities as to be difficult to separate. The Rappites owned and settled the greater part of the township.

The following were the early land entries : The Rapps entered most of their lands in 1825. William Rogers entered lands in 1815; Ignatius Leavitt in 1814, and John Phillips in 1811. Robert Allen entered the lands owned by him in 1814; William Stallings in 1816, and Mr. Allen in 1809. All these were entered at the land office at Vincennes.

It is claimed by some that George Rapp and his associates built the first grist mill in the county, but this is denied, and it has been stated on good authority that John Warrick built a mill on the cut-off at New Harmony in the year 1812, which was in operation for some time, but was sold to the Rappites who remodeled it. The first home-made flour was manufactured at this mill, the honor falling to the peculiar society which located at Harmonic in 1814 and 1815. The mill was run by water power.

The Cut-off, as the name indicates, is a body of land cut off from the mainland by an arm of the river. It consists of about 2,000 acres of very rich soil. It was occupied by the Rappites in the early days and yielded them immense harvests. The cut-off chute afforded an excellent site for water power, of which they took advantage.

ROBB TOWNSHIP Was organized March 24, 1817, by the board of county commissioners, but embraced, in addition to its present area, all of Bethel and the greater part of Harmony townships. The first election in the township was held at the house of Langston Drew, April 12, 1817, for the purpose of electing one justice of the peace. Peter Jones was elected.

The first township officers were: Gillison Price, Nathan Britton, Joshua Wade, John Gale, constables ; Thomas Robb, Peter Jones, Langston Drew, James Robb, William Casey, election inspectors ; Robert Allen, Jonathan Jaquess, William Casey, John Waller, James Murphy, Job Calvin, Peter Jones and James Calvin, overseers of the poor ; Joshua Overton, Thomas Owens, Leander DeFer, Ezekiel Kight, James Calvin and John Allman, supervisors.

The following persons entered land up to 1818: William Nelson and Robert Allmon, 1809; James Allen, Samuel Murphy, Joseph Johnson, 1810; Jonathan Jaquess, Maxwell Jolley, Thomas Shouse, Thomas Allmon, Daniel Drake, James Rankin, John Cox, 1811; James Murphy, 1812; John Wilkins, Thomas Robb, 1813; Right Stallings, Peter Jones, William Harrigan, Warner Clark, Simeon Reecles, John Stroud, John Waller, Thomas and William Harrison, Harrison Sartin, John Gwaltney, William Stallings, Langston Drew, Leander DeFer, Thomas Owens, John Crabtree, William Price, Thomas Rogers, John Robards, 1814; John Drew, William Gray, Nathan Britton, John Calvin, Richard Harrison, William McPherson, Ezekiel Kight, 1815 ; Clement Estes, Joseph Endicott, Joshua Overton, Thomas McLure, Legro Bennett, John Calvin, Jesse Britton, Frederick Rapp, James Anderson, Jesse Cox, 1816; Lawrence Stull, John Walker, 1817; James Robb, 1818.

The first settlers were : Joshua Overton and Joseph Montgomery, who came with their families in 1808. Though there were no records of the fact, it is quite probable that there were settlers in the township as trappers and hunters at the beginning of the last century. In 1817 James Rankin built the first saw mill in the township. It was built on Black river, and was swept away by the high water shortly after it was finished. Another saw mill known as Grammis' saw mill was located on Cox creek.

James Murphy and Joshua Overton owned mills near Poseyville and Stewartsville. The Murphy mill had a still house in connection that was famous for distilling liquors of excellent quality. The price was twenty-five cents per gallon. These mills were known as horse mills, as the motive power was that of horses hitched at each end of a long sweep.

James Robb was the proprietor of a still house on Cox's creek. Turner Nelson established a still house near Stewartsville. Later Mr. Nelson became very prominent in county politics.

In 1820 Robert Downey established a cotton gin about a mile south of Poseyville. In those days a cotton gin was about as important as a distillery. Every farmer raised enough cotton for his own use. The cotton cloth was woven by the women on hand looms. Tanyards were also important. Allen Westfall owned a tanyard near Stewartsville in the '405, and tanned hides on the shares. In most cases some member of a family made shoes for the whole family, but there were cobblers who made shoes to sell while others cobbled on the shares.

Farming was carried on in a very primitive manner. As late as 1850 plows with wooden mould-boards were in use. Oxen were used for plowing and about all other farm work. Wheat was sown by hand and brushed in by a pile of brush drawn over the field by oxen. Later harrows with wooden teeth were used.

The price of land, known as Congress land, was two dollars per acre, but it was afterward reduced to one dollar and twenty-five cents, and swamp lands sold for twelve and one-half cents.

An immense lot of timber was destroyed in those days in order to get the land ready for cultivation. Timber in those days was not considered as having any value except for making rails and such other purposes as the farmer could make of it in its raw state. Anything that would split was good rail timber and no tree was considered too valuable for rails. Many a fine walnut tree was made into rails to fence the "clearing."

As a protection against the Indians the settlers built forts or block houses, a common place of refuge when the Indians went on the war path. A block house was located about a mile south of Stewarts- ville, on the farm then owned by John Cox. It was a two-story building and was built of heavy, round logs. The lower story was 30x30 feet and the upper story a foot larger each way, projecting over the first story a foot all around and had V-shaped loop-holes sawed into the logs, some with points downward and others outward to afford a view of an enemy approaching. The blocks sawed out were kept to plug up the holes after firing at the enemy.

There were two doors to the building and no windows, one door for an entrance to the first story, and one at the head of the stairway leading to the second story. However, no account of any engagement at the fort seems to be available, although it was frequently made use of as a refuge when the behavior of their Indian neighbors became suspicious.

MARKS TOWNSHIP. At a meeting of the board of county commissioners held at Black- ford, March 24, 1817, Marrs township was organized with its present boundaries. It was named after Samuel R. Marrs, who was one of the pioneers of the township, having come here from Warrick county. He was the first sheriff of Warrick county.

The first election held in Marrs township was at the house of William Hutchinson, one of the first settlers in the township. The following are the names of some of the early settlers of the township : Alexander Barton, Moses Calvin, George Daws, John Ca- born, William Hutcheson, James Benbrook, Gabriel David, Hamilton Corson, James B. Campbell, Bedford Lynn, Judge Marrs, Lewis Benner, Michael Schreiber, John Vanwey, Wilson Jones, the Forris family, John Usery, the Weinmillers, and some others.

The following land entries were made prior to 1820: Thomas E. Casselberry, 1807; John and Alexander Barton, 1811; William Downen, 1811; William Sample, 1812; Paul Casselberry, 1813; Elsberry Armstrong, 1813; Samuel R. Marrs, 1813; Adam Young, 1814; William Bor- ton, 1814; Jacob and James Weinmiller, 1814; Robert Dery, 1814; John Moon, 1814; Elkanah Williams, 1814; William Hutcheson, 1815; Benjamin Worthington, 1815; Needham Blount, 1815; Lawrence Stull, 1816; Jeffrey Sanders, 1817; John William, 1817; Charles Smith, 1817; Elias McNamee, 1818.

The first mill in the township was built in 1839, on Big creek, by a man named Vauble, who came to the township in the same year. About that time, also, James Benbrook built a small distillery and "swopped" whiskey for corn, giving a gallon of whiskey for a bushel of corn. He became widely known as the "whiskey swopper."

Cornelius Foster was known as Rifle Foster. He was a gunsmith and pioneer preacher, and, being a first class mechanic, he manufactured nearly all the early rifles used by the pioneers of this township and the surrounding country. He died in this township many years ago, but now and then a Foster rifle can be found to tell the story.

The principal mill in the township was known as Black Hawk's Mill. It finally came into the possession of and was operated by Joseph Deig, and was known from that time on as Deig's mill.

The first post office in the township was at West Franklin, there being a great many settlers in that vicinity as early as 1815. In 1858 the office was removed to Black Hawk's Mill, where it remained until the first railway through the county was completed, passing through Caborn, it was removed to that place and the office at West Franklin was re-established.

ROBINSON TOWNSHIP. The exact time when this township was organized is not known, but it is undoubtedly one of the oldest townships in the county, as it was formed in the first days of the territory's history. There is no record in possession of the county telling of its organization. It was named after Jonathan Robinson, who was prominently identified with the public affairs of that section in the early days.

Very few land entries were made within the present township previous to 1820, owing to the fact that there was plenty of desirable land subject to entry nearer the market, but finally a great influx of Germans began to pour into this county and, large areas of land being still unoccupied in this township, they soon began to settle in that locality.

The greater portion of the population of the township now consists of Germans. The land entries prior to 1820 were: William Dodge, in 1817; William Rodgers, 1818; Ajax Campbell, 1818; Charles Kim- ball, 1818; Ezekiel Dukes, 1818; Rezin Halsell, 1816; Isaac Slover, 1819; David Murphy, 1819; John Crunk, 1818; Josiah Denney, 1814; Joel Pruitt, 1818; Thomas Halsell, 1817; William Holson, 1819; Alexander S. Morrow, 1818, and Samuel Barton, 1816.

William Dodge entered land in 1817 and built a horse mill on his farm near Blairsville. Charles Kimball obtained permission from the county commissioners to build a mill at the bridge where the Evans- ville and New Harmony road crosses Big creek and that is supposed to be about the date of the building of his mill.

As these mills had a capacity of from fifteen to twenty-five bushels a day, the miller was compelled to carry on some other kind of business in connection with his mill to support his family. In a great many cases small distilleries were run in connection with them.

The region around Blairsville has been called the Mecca of Geologists, being rich in fossils, yielding argillaceous shales containing fossil ferns, and other coal plants, and a thin layer of coal and Sigillaria Oweni of large size. The region has been visited by many eminent scientists, including Dr. Owen, William McClure, Sir Charles Lyell, Thomas Say, Pratten, Worthen, L. Lesquereux, Norwood Shumard, Dr. Troost, E. T. Cox and others.

SMITH TOWNSHIP. Smith township at the time of its organization, March 24, 1817, by the bo'ard of county commissioners, included, in addition to its present area, additional territory which has since become parts of Gibson and Warrick counties and Lynn township.

It was named in honor of George Smith, one of the earliest and most prominent settlers. The first election was held at his house. Early settlers and land entries : Elsberry Armstrong, Miles Armstrong and Joseph Garris entered land in 1810; James Rankin, 1811; W. M. Stell, David Benson, 1813 ; Joseph Rasborough, Simon Williams, George and Bennet Williams, William Downey, George Smith, Regina Gale, 1814; Thomas McLure, John Smith, Thomas Duncan, William Smith, Isaac Kimball, Robert Davis, Thomas Ashley, Simpson Richey, 1815; William Davis, Henry Casey, Stephen Eaton, John Neal, Sallie Sanders, Willis Armstrong, Zachariah Harris, 1816; John McConnell, Louis Williams, Jonathan Jaquess, George Eaton, John Eaton, Stubel Garrett, Samuel McReynolds, Joshua Elkins, 1817; Elisha Kimball, Herndon Meadows, George Lowe, Harrison Meadows, 1818.

The county board made the following appointments of township officers in 1817:
William Davis, assessor and inspector of merchandise; John Armstrong and James Martin, overseers of the poor; John McCrary, constable ; Josiah Elkins, supervisor of all the roads in Smith township ; Miles Armstrong, inspector of an election, held on the twelfth day of April of that year for the purpose of electing two justices of the peace.

George Smith, one of the first to settle in the township, built a horse mill for grinding corn and wheat about two miles south of Cynthiana. He also ran a still in connection with it, exchanging a gallon of whiskey for a bushel of meal.

Kimball's grist mill, Knight's grist mill, Alcorn's grist and saw mill, and Elperman's grist and saw mills were all located on Big creek, where excellent water power was afforded.

Lumber in those days was sawed with a whip saw. Jonathan and William Moutry did a great deal of sawing for the neighbors with their hand saw mill.

Ford Robinson built a cotton gin about 1825, but cotton soon became cheap and people stopped raising cotton. But during the Rebellion cotton reached such a high price that people began raising it again, and Elisha Jones built and operated a cotton gin.

WAGNON TOWNSHIP Was organized in March, 1817, and when Vanderburgh county was formed, January 7, 1818, it became a part of that county and is known as Perry township. It was named after William Wagnon, a very early settler and one of the first panel of jurors that ever sat in Posey county.

BETHEL TOWNSHIP Was formed August 14, 1821, and was named after P. C. Bethel, the first white man to settle within its confines. Eli Robb was one of the first justices of the peace.

The following officers were appointed in 1822 : Joseph Johnston, constable ; Joseph Green and Joseph Johnston, overseers of the poor ; Joseph Johnston, supervisor of all the roads in the township ; Gillison Price, election inspector; John Colvin, assessor.

The records show that John Waller entered land in 1807; James Ferris, 1808; John McQuidy and Mathias Mounts, 1811; Thomas Shouse, 1812; George Rapp and the "Harmonic Association," Isaac and Alexander Boyer, Samuel B. Williams and Joseph Green, 1815; John Neal, 1816; George Barnett, John S. Campbell, Carmelia Carpenter, Thomas Jordan, John E. Wilson, 1817; Robert Allen, Jess Spann, John B. Rachels, Gillison Price, Nicholas Harding, 1818; Stephen Eaton, William Griffin, Jacob Whittaker, Jesse Williams and William Browder, 1819.

A water-power saw and grist mill was established and operated by John J. Morehead on the bayou for several years. John Vanway finally became his successor as proprietor of the mill and he moved it to the mouth of the bayou and changed into a steam mill. Before mills were invented the settlers made meal in a mortar after the manner of their Indian neighbors. The best mortars were hollowed out of rock, but occasionally a large stump was used as a mortar. A large, deep, funnel- shaped hole was burned in the top of the stump, and a heavy wooden pestle, with the lower end pointed to fit the shape of the mortar, was used to crush the corn into meal. After the meal was thought to be fine enough it was run through a buckskin sieve.

CENTER TOWNSHIP, So named on account of its location in the center of the county, was formed from parts of Robinson, Lynn and Harmony townships in March, 1859, by order of the county commissioners.

The following land entries were made at the dates annexed : William Dodge, 1815; John McReynolds, 1817; Sharp Garriss, 1816; Andrew Cavitt, 1815; Wright Stallings, 1817; Joseph McReynolds, 1817; John Ashley, 1819; Jesse Stallings, 1817; Ajax Campbell, 1818; David Ball, 1818; E. Cross, 1815; Jonathan Robinson, 1818; Enoch Fillingim, 1819; Archibald South, 1819; Michael Smith, 1818; Thomas Smith, 1818; George Rapp and Association, 1815; James Owens, 1818; John Crunk, 1816; John Hay, 1817; Frederick Rapp, 1817; William Nelson, 1816; Samuel Scott, 1817; Thomas Wilson, 1816; Al Wilson, 1817; John D. Hay, 1817; D. Lynn, 1816; David A. Willis, 1817; John Stallings, 1816; Jacob Kern, 1816; William Alexander, 1816; Thomas Leavett, 1817; William Wier, 1815; James Robb, 1818; John Gray, 1809; Thomas Rogers, 1809.

The early settlers were Andrew Cavitt and sister, Joseph Robinson, Joshua and Caleb Wade, John Ashley, Sharp Garris, John Parish, Benjamin Gwaltney, David Ball, Moses Cross, Abner and Ajax Campbell, Reuben and Wright Stallings. Other families were the Wallaces, the Smiths and the Wilkinses.

Mills, cotton-gins, distilleries and tanneries were a necessity in every neighborhood. Joseph Robinson supplied his neighbors with meal and whiskey and ginned their cotton for a long time. Cotton was high and money scarce, so every farmer had his cotton patch. Corn or wheat was carried to the mill on horseback and the settlers had to wait their turn, in some instances having to wait a day or two, as the capacity of the mills in those days was all the way from ten to twenty-five bushels per day. If it was a "horse mill" each man furnished the horse-power to do his own grinding. Distilleries were often connected with the mills and many indulged in drinking while waiting their "turn." They were small copper stills with a capacity of only a few gallons per day. The price of liquors, meals and lodging was regulated by the commissioners.

Whiskey was l/2 cents per half-pint, wines 50 cents, food and lodging 25 cents, a horse with hay and stall all night 50 cents. "

HOOP-POLE TOWNSHIP." Let a resident of Posey county go among strangers almost anywhere in the United States and tell anybody he came from Posey county, Indiana, he will be required to answer the question : "Are you from Hoop-pole township?" And many who ask that question really believe that such a township actually exists in Posey county.

It is hoped that the following may disabuse the minds of those who entertain the idea that there is a township by that name in Posey county :

Soon after the county seat was removed to Mt. Vernon, which was in the year 1825, barrel making became an important business in Mt. Vernon. William Hatfield and John Cooper were engaged in that business on a rather extensive scale for that time. In those days there was a class of robust, fearless men who followed the river for a livelihood, known as flatboatmen. It was not uncommon to see a dozen or more of this kind of craft afloat or lying at the landing. One day, about the year 1833, some ten or fifteen flatboats were at the wharf while their owners were up in town at the taverns and groceries drinking, making merry, and having a good time, and some of them became involved in a quarrel with residents of the town, in which the latter were worsted and routed.

The news of the defeat spread over the town and several of the rougher element determined to avenge the wrong perpetrated upon their fellow citizens, so they equipped themselves with hoop-poles from the cooper shop, and another fight ensued, in which the river men were badly beaten, and made a hasty retreat to their boats, and pushed into the stream as quickly as possible. They passed, and were passed in turn, by boatmen, and their unsightly appearance called for explanation, and the questioner soon heard the story about the hoop-poles.

After that when a flatboatmen was seen with a broken nose or a black eye, or otherwise damaged appearance, he was accused of having been to Vernon, and the place soon came to be known up and down the river as Hoop-pole township.

Source: http://books.google.com/, scanned image History of Posey County, Indiana By John C. Leffel Published by Standard Publ. Co., 1913

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