SUGAR CREEK TOWNSHIP
Hancock County
Sugar Creek township is six miles square and is located in the southwest corner of the county. It was laid out
as one of the three original town-ships on April 7, 1828, and included the entire western portion of the county.
Various changes have been made in its boundary lines, all of which may be followed by referring to the chapter
on county government.
Twelve sections or a strip two miles wide off of the western side of the civil township, lie in congressional township
15 north, range 5 east; the remaining portion of the civil township, consisting of twenty-four sections, lies in
congressional township 15 north, range 6 east.
The township is drained principally by Sugar creek, which enters the township just west of the northeast corner
thereof, and flows in a southwesterly direction, crossing its southern boundary just below New Palestine. Little
Sugar creek crosses the extreme southeast corner and Buck creek flows through the northwestern part of the township.
Several large open drains have been constructed, all of which flow into one or other of the above mentioned creeks.
With the exception of a narrow strip bordering Sugar creek, the township is level or gently rolling. The soil is
fertile and the town-ship is admirably adapted to heavy farming.
The first land entry was made by George Worthington, who entered about two hundred and forty-acres, including the
present site of Philadelphia and the land lying to the north and West thereof. The first entry in the southern
part of the township was made by Jacob Murnan, who located just below New Palestine in 1823. Among the family names
that are still familiar in the county are the following, taken from the tract book showing who entered land in
Sugar Creek township: Arthur Carr, John Eastes, William Sanders. August Langenherger, Thomas Schreiber, Anton Wishmeier,
Reuben Barnard, Owen Griffith, Robert Carr, Henry Hawk, Christopher Black. Abraham Hudson, Ludwick Richmann, Michael
Murnan, William McCance, Rachel Collyer, Gerret Snodgrass, Henry Wright, Quiller Shockley, Darius Cunningham, Jacob
Murnan, Robert Snodgrass, Matthius Luse, Samuel P. Seward, Charles Fish, Albert Lange, Jacob Schramm, John C. W.
Racener, Jacob Huff, George Worthington, William Pierson, Ovid Pierson, Morris Pierson, John Dance, Hervey Bates,
Jonathan Dunbar, Amos Dickerson, Henry Racener, Jonathan Evans, James Hinchman, Joseph Conner, William Murnan,
Samuel Cones, George Leachman, John Powner, George Lipscomb, Jacob Jones, Micajah Martin, John Hager, Henry Steinmire,
Henry Ruschaupt, Andrew Fink, Henry Fink, George Hickman. William Black, James Parker, David McNarnee, James P.
Wilson, John Delaney, Andrew McGahey, Peter Pellus, Wellington Collyer, John Ashcraft, John Snodgrass Jr., Joseph
Cones, Samuel Shockley, Benjamin Snodgrass, Henry Brandenburg.
The Brookville state road was constructed through what is now the southern part of the township before the county
was organized. In 1833 the National road was constructed across the northern part of it. These two roads caused
the first people to locate in the northern and southern parts of the township, and, of course, the first business
houses, including the groceries, taverns, etc., were located along them. James Parker and Peter N. Newland, and,
later, J. Ross and Hugh Kelly, opened taverns along the National road. John Delaney operated a tavern along the
Brookville state road many years before the Civil War on the site of the William Nichols homestead, or where Henry
Lantz now lives, about one mile west of New Palestine. It is said that Mrs. Delaney was known as a good cook for
maim' miles along the old state road.
Amos Dickerson, John Delaney and Jonathan Evans opened small groceries along the Brookville road in 1831, 1833
and 1838, respectively. John Eastes opened a little grocery along the National road in the western part of the
township in 1832, and in 1838 Atherton & Avery established the first grocery within the present site of Philadelphia.
In 1838 the first towns were also platted-Philadelphia on April 8, 1838, by Charles Atherton, and New Palestine
on October 1, 1838, by Jonathan Evans.
A number of mills were also established along the creeks and in other parts of the township. Among them are:
Grist- and saw-mill, erected on Sugar creek by Stephen Bellus, about 1828, two miles north of New Palestine. This
mill stood near the north end of what is known as the Pitcher farm. It was later owned by Amos Dickerson, Myron
Brown, Uriah Emmons, George Kingery and Lewis Burk. It stood until about 1872. A saw-mill was erected by Black
& Brother, on Sugar creek, one mile south of Philadelphia. This mill was operated until about the close of
the Civil War, or possibly a few years later. A saw-mill was established in 1830 by James Smith on Little Sugar
creek, about forty rods east of the west line of the west half of the southwest quarter of section 34, township
15, range 6, immediately east of the present residence of Ralph G. Logan. A saw-mill was erected on Sugar creek
by Lewis Burk, about 1850, or possibly a little later. It stood one-half mile north and one-half mile east of New
Palestine. It was later owned by David Ulrey, John Kingerv, Henry Ashcraft, James Boyce and James Murnan. The interest
of all these persons in and to the mill and the mill race was purchased liv John M. Pitcher during the latter eighties.
The amount of water in the creek was becoming to small during the dry seasons to be relied upon for power and Mr.
Pitcher placed his threshing engine in the mill and operated the mill with steam power until in the early nineties.
He delighted in running the mill at evenings; lanterns were hung about the place and the saw could be heard until
nine and ten o'clock at night. It became a very attractive place to the children of the neighborhood. Who congregated
there to play or watch the men at their work. Just a few rods northwest of the mill was a very fine spring. Mr.
Pitcher excavated at this spring and put in a layer of cement. From the cement an iron pipe about two inches in
diameter was brought up, and the water from the spring came up the pipe. The spring was visited by numbers of people
who came into that community. It has been covered since the mill had been abandoned.
A saw-mill, erected in 1850 by Kelly & Brother, one mile west of Philadelphia, was operated for a number of
years, and one erected by James B. Conover in 1856, a short distance west of Sugar creek on the National road.
was operated about three years. A saw-mill erected by Matthews & Reed about 1856, stood in the north central
part of the township and was operated about five years. A grist- and saw-mill was erected by Thomas Tuttle in 1857,
on his farm about two miles Southwest of New Palestine in the vicinity of Swamp school house.
A saw-mill, erected by Gemmer & Vogel about 1850, stood about one-half mile northeast of New Palestine in what
is now tile barn yard on the The Anton F. G. Richman farm. The Gemmer farm and mill were later taken over by Thomas
D. Walpole. Other owners were Charles Wright and John M. Pitcher. William Gordon finally bought the mill and removed
it. A grist-mill was erected at New Palestine in 1856 by Henry Gates and William Ball. Later owners of the mill
were Scott & Davis, Joseph Conner, Charles F. Richman, Adam T. Hogle, Benjamin F. Wilson, Elbert Helms, Hayden
Pierson, Williarn T Eaton and Fralich & Waltz. The mill burned about 1886, while owned by B. F.Wilson, but
was rebuilt. The present owner is John Waltz. A grist-mill, built about 1882 or 1883, at Philadelphia, by a man
named Mints, was operated six or eight years, and a grain elevator, built at Philadelphia by Hudson Smith and others
about 1883, was operated six or eight years.
A saw-mill erected at Philadelphia during the seventies by Rufus Black, was operated for ten or fifteen years.
A saw-mill, erected at Gem in 1871, by the Stutsmans, burned in 1879, but was rebuilt and operated until 1902.
Chris Fink, the last owner of the mill, sold it to James Webb, who removed it to a point northeast of Maxwell.
A saw-mill was erected at New Palestine in 1878, by Fred Gessler. The mill was operated a number of years by Mr.
Gessler, when George Waters bought it and ran it until four or five years ago. A grist-mill was erected at Philadelphia
about 1882 by some Henry county parties, who operated it for several years.
A planing-mill and bent-wood factory was erected at New Palestine by Drake Brothers about 1889. It was purchased
a few years later and very much enlarged by James Madison, who now owns and operates it.
At present there are two mills in the township-the planing-mill owned by James Madison and the grist-mill owned
by John Waltz, both at New Palestine. About ten years ago a grain elevator was built at Gem, which has been operated
for several years by Fred Thomas.
TAN YARDS
John F. Baity established a tan yard on the McNamee farm just south of school No. 4, in 1845. In 1847 Alexander
Ogle built a small tannery near Philadelphia. Early in the fifties Thomas Swift operated a small tannery at New
Palestine.
TILE FACTORIES AND BRICK YARDS
The first tile factory in the township was built by Jacob Schramm, at the northwest corner of section 18, township
15, range 6, about 1863. It first manufactured what were known as horseshoe tile, which were open on one side.
After four or five years Mr. Schramm began the manufacture of flat-bottomed tile. Work was suspended at the factory
during the seventies.
William Roesner established a tile factory on the south side of the National road, just west of Gem, about 1865.
It was bought by Fred Wicker in 1875, but resold to Roesner in 1882, who operated it until seven or eight years
ago.
Shellhouse, Spurry & Armstrong built a factory on the south side of the Brookville road, one mile east of New
Palestine, in 1869. Benjamin F. Freeman, Edward P. Scott, William Reasoner and others had an interest in this factory
at different times. No tile has been manufactured there since about 1882-3.
Anton F. G. Richman established a brick yard in 1880 on the north side of the railroad and on the west side of
the road lust one-half mile east of the overhead bridge at New Palestine.
BLACKSMITH SHOPS
With the establishment of the towns of New Palestine and Philadelphia, blacksmith shops were located there. Reuben
Barnard, father of Ex-County Treasurer William C. Barnard, however, built a shop in 1832 on his farm on the county
line, about one mile east of the southwest corner of the county.
SCHOOLS
The first school houses in the township were pole cabins, covered with clapboards and supplied with "cat and
clay" chimneys and puncheon floors. They were not public buildings, but were constructed by the citizens as
they settled in different sections. One of these school houses was located on the north side of the National road
just east of Philadelphia. Another was located in section 5 on the south side of the National road, where the National
road crosses the east line of that section. It was known as the Brown school house. About 1890 this school was
moved one-half mile west and located on the north side, of the National road. In 1902 it was moved to Gem, where
the building now stands, between the National road and the railroad, in section 6.
Another building was located in the east central part of section 8, possibly forty rods west of the east line of
section 8. It was known as the Mills school. The McNarnee school was located in the southeast corner of section
7. The Morford school, which has since become known as the Caraway school, was located in the southeast corner
of section 16. "Number 6," as the school has long been known, was located in the southeast corner of
section 28. It has been known as the Brandenburg school and as the Gates school. Near the center of section 26,
township 15, range 5, was located the Hickman school, or, as it has since been known, the Tuttle school, and Swamp
school house. The first school at New Palestine was located in the northeast part of town, in the back part of
what is still known as the "old school yard, on which Huber's blacksmith shop is now located.
All of these houses were built on the same plan. Some of them had two, others had three windows. The lights were
eight by eight. The door was so low that a large man had to stoop to enter.
Some of the first teachers in the township were George Robinson, Daniel Valentine Richard Lindsey, Reuben Barnard
and Eliza Barnard. The names of the later teachers will he found in the list of teachers given in another chapter.
Source:
History of Hancock County, Indiana, Its People, Industries and Institutions by George J. Richman,
B. L., Federal Publishing Co., Indianapolis, Indiana, 1916.
last updated
February 07, 2003