BERRYVILLE TO WHEATLAND: INDIANA BECOMES A STATE [PART 3]

INDIANA BECOMES A STATE

By 1820 Indiana population had increased to 147,178. The river towns and navigable streams were the places where the early pioneers settled. Many pioneers came on down the Ohio River on flat boats. The boats were twenty to sixty feet long and ten to twenty feet wide, with the hull three to four feet above the water. They were like floating houses and barnyards combined. About ten feet from the bow, they were boarded up and roofed, so they were reasonably comfortable for families. The cost of such boats were between one and ten dollars per foot of length; they were of no service to go upstream. Four to five miles an hour was possible going downstream. These boats were constructed at Pittsburgh or on the lower Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh. In this area this was a profitable business.

The waterways really did not satisfy the demand for dependable travel. Floods in the summer and ice in the winter were a source of constant worry for the pioneers. Going overland was very hazardous; only horse paths were available and with the land being heavily wooded, there was much danger of surprise attacks from the Indians. There were also no accommodations along the way; often it was necessary to sleep on the ground or in tents.

When the pioneers that were using the Ohio River for travel got to the falls of the Ohio, cargo had to be repacked, temporary lodging secured, more supplies procured and pilots hired to navigate the Ohio past the falls. After the war of 1812 the population boomed in Indiana, but formed a lop-sided U forming along the Ohio River, meeting the East for of the White River, and on to the Wabash River. The Wabash River had been explored and a few pioneers had settled along the river at Vincennes. The French were here and on past Fort Harrison at Terre Haute, past Prophetstown and on to Tippecanoe Creek.

Between 1817 and 1820 the Cumberland Road was a direct route established from Toledo to St. Louis. It was located between the Potamac and the Ohio River and completely opened in 1816. The Eastern part of the United States did not need roads for transporting like the West did. Then came the Panic of 1819, overproduction without a market and dangers of foreclosures. Even in 1819 America was producing more than it could consume. American population doubled every twenty-five years.

After Wheatland and the surrounding towns were settled, there were plank roads built to Bruceville and Emison.

In 1812 there were only two main roads in Indiana. One from Louisville to Vincennes, the other from Vincennes to Kaskaskia. These roads were not accommodate a wagon pulled by horses. They were traveled by foot, packhorse or horsemen. By 1810 there was weekly mail service from Louisville to Vincennes. Delivery took two weeks for mail from Vincennes to Kaskaskia. Many delays were encountered because of floods, storms, and other hazards.

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WHEATLAND

North Wheatland, [town proper] was donated by William P. Long; 67 lots which were surveyed on December 9, 1859. South Wheatland, [13 acres] was donated by R. E. Steen and surveyed on June 29, 1860. East Wheatland was donated by Enoch Steen and surveyed on April 6, 1868.

When Wheatland became a town, an argument between R. E. Steen and William Long ensued. Steen wanted to call the village Steenville. Long wanted to call it Elmira in honor of his beloved hometown of Elmira, New York. The two men could not reach a compromise, and would not speak to each other. The railroad had built a depot for the town. A railroad employee took paint and brush and painted WHEATLAND on the depot because there had been a bountiful harvest of wheat at that time [or year]. This was probably the beginning of the name as it is today.

Some of the earliest settlers were: Richard Steen 1802, Andrew Berry, Richard Robinson, John Steen, James Small, William Snyder, Daniel Rickey, Simon Nicholson, James D. Dunn, Nathan and James Burris, Jesse and Simon Harbin, Peter Overbay, D. W. Ballow, James Young, John Donaldson, and Abraham Westfall.

Corn, wheat, timothy, clover, pumpkins, and cabbage were the principal crops grown. At the time that Wheatland became a town, there were plenty of wild animals that could be hunted and shot for food, such as deer, bear, coyote, squirrel, wildcats, and wild turkey.

Among prominent and influential residents of the township in 1859 were Samuel Weaver, John T. Weaver, the Simon Robinson, S. L. Niblack, Dr. T. J. Lytton, the Nicholsons, and the Robinson family.

Simon A. Nicholson is believed to have brought the first black family to Steen Township. George Washington Wright, a freed slave, came with his family in 1870 and settled in a log house across the road from Simon A. Nicholsons two-story white house, south of the present day [1983] U.S. 50 highway. The Simon A. Nicholson house was to have been brick. The kiln was too hot and the bricks were ruined. However, there were enough good bricks salvaged to build a cellar house, where milk and produce could be kept. In winter, potatoes and garden produce were stored here. In later years, this small brick building was torn down.

PIERRESVILLE

Steen Township - Knox County, Indiana

On December 4, 1839, a village was laid out called Pierresville, in honor of its founder, Pierre Richardville. The land was inherited by the young Pierre, from his father, Antoine Richardville who had been granted the land in 1806.

Streets were laid out near the river [about three miles north of Highway 50, according to Basyl Pickel, who owned the land until his death in October, 1891].

Mr. Pickels cabin was a log cabin, built in 1840 by one of the Gilmores. The foundation is sandstone, taken from the river bead.

North-south streets were: Front Street [fronting the river], Second Street and Third Street. The east-west streets were: North, Harrison, Emperor and Perry Streets. Several lots were purchased by Robert and William Gilmore in Donation 156.

Pierresville was situated at Apraw Ford and could have flourished. The crossing of the White River there had a gentle slope down the river, where the river could be forded or ferried across. To ford the river on horseback required taking a curve following a sandstone shelf of about four feet; baptism of some of the area churches were held at Apraw Crossing.

Pierresville, like several other villages, did not flourish, and was soon forgotten except in Court House Records.

BERRYSVILLE

Andrew Berry lived east of present day Wheatland, near the junctions of U.S. 50 Highway and Indiana 241. On the southeast corner, near the home where the Kenneth Bakers presently live, Andrew Berry built a two-story log house. This was the site of the first post office and stage stop, called Berrysville.

Mr. Berry was appointed postmaster on August 14, 1830. He served this office until the post office was moved to Wheatland. James J. Green was appointed postmaster December 17, 1857. William P. Long was appointed postmaster on March 10, 1858.

On March 5, 1851 Andrew Berry and others presented a petition to the county commissioners to divide Palmyra Township into two townships. This was accomplished by leaving the western half of Palmyra Township as almost a perfect square. The eastern half became Steen Township.

Steen Township area was about 21,000 acres, made up entirely of donations. Almost all the ground was under cultivation.

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