Counties of the Wabash & Erie Canal

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Canal Structures

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Allen County

Formed on April 1, 1824 and named for Colonel John Allen, who lead Kentucky riflemen to relieve the siege at Fort Wayne by Indians during the War of 1812.  He was subsequently killed at the Battle of the Raisin in Michigan Territory in January 1813.

General Anthony Wayne was one of the American heroes of the Revolution. Famed for his aggressive style of fighting, he came to be called “Mad” Anthony. In 1794 at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, he defeated the western Indian confederacy and negotiated the Treaty of Greenville. Namesake for Indiana’s city of Ft. Wayne.

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Miscellaneous Historical Events

East of Fort Wayne

New Haven

Event	Date/Who	Description
Construction	1837-1838	Ft Wayne to St Line
Prism Enlarged		60 Ft wide x 6 feet deep
Terminus Summit Level		17 3/4 miles to Roanoke
Elevated RR		Follows canal route
Comparet Basin		David Comparet
Stone Building		John Brown ( not abolitionist)
Toll Collection Point

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Links & Other Historical Sites

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Whitley County

Whitley County was formed in 1838. It was named for Col. William Whitley, a Revolutionary War soldier, who was killed in the War of 1812 at the Battle of the Thames in October 1813.  There is considerable evidence that he, not later Vice President Richard Johnson, killed Tecumseh in that battle.

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Huntington County

Huntington County was formed in 1832. It was named for Samuel Huntington, who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.^[4] He was also the 7^thPresident of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation.  Served as Governor of Connecticut 1786-1796

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Wabash County

Wabash County, along with Delaware County, was originally formed Jan. 1820 out of the 1818 New Purchase resulting from the Treaty of St. Mary’s. Wabash County as it exists today was organized out of a remnant portion of the original county in 1835.

The name “Wabash” is an English spelling of the earlier French name for the river, Ouabache. French traders derived the French version from the Indian name for the river, Wabashike (pronounced “Wah-bah-she-keh”) (meaning “pure white”.) Much of the river bottom is white limestone, now obscured by mud.

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Miami County

Miami County was formed in 1832 from Cass County and unorganized land.^[4] It was named for the Miami, a Native American people, many of whom still live in this area.^[5]

Francis (or François) Godfroy was born at Little Turtle’s village (Ft. Wayne, Indiana), the son of Jacques Godfroy,^[3] a French trader, and a Miami woman. His Miami name, Palonswah. Francis Godfroy was one of the leaders in a Miami counterattack on an American army led by Lieutenant Colonel John Campbell in the Battle of the Mississinewa on December 17–18, 1812.

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Cass County

Cass County was formed in 1828.^[4] It is named for Gen. Lewis Cass, 2nd Territorial Governor of Michigan and afterward U.S. Secretary of War.

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Carroll County

Carroll County was formed in 1828 and named for Charles Carroll, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, who died in 1832.^[3][4] The county seat of Delphi was established the same year by General Samuel Milroy. The Wabash and Erie Canal, built through the county in 1840 and operating until the early 1870s, is among the county’s most significant historical legacies.

Charles Carroll (September 19, 1737 – November 14, 1832), known as Charles Carroll of Carrollton was a wealthy Maryland planter and an early advocate of independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and one of the signers of the American Declaration of Independence. He was the sole Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence.^[3] He is one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America.

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Tippecanoe County

Tippecanoe County was formed March 1, 1826, and named for the anglicization of “Kethtippecanoogi”, a Miami people term meaning “place of the succor fish people.”  The Tippecanoe River flows north to south in the county and enters the Wabash east of the city of Lafayette .

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Fountain County

Fountain County was officially created on December 30, 1825, the act taking effect on April 1, 1826; the boundaries of the county have not changed since that time. .It was named for Major James Fontaine of Kentucky who was killed at Harmar’s Defeat (near modern Fort Wayne, Indiana) on October 22, 1790, during the Northwest Indian War.

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Parke County

Formed on January 9, 1821 from a portion of Vigo County,^[2] Parke County was formed by an act approved by the state legislature. It was named for Captain Benjamin Parke, who commanded a troop of light Dragoons at the Battle of Tippecanoe.^[10] Parke was elected as a delegate of Indiana Territory to the U.S. Congress. In 1821, he was appointed as U.S. District Judge for Indiana.

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Vigo County

The county is named in honor of Colonel Francis Vigo, of Italian heritage but a citizen of Spain due to residence in St. Louis. He is credited with great assistance to George Rogers Clark both in financing Clark’s exploration and American Revolutionary War efforts, and in service as an agent obtaining military information for Clark against British campaigns on the then frontier.

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Miscellaneous Historical Events

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Vigo County Historical Society & Museum

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Clay County

The Indiana Legislature mandated Clay County in 1825, with territory partitioned from Owen, Putnam, Sullivan, and Vigo counties. Its name honors Henry Clay,^[3] a famous antebellum American statesman. The first Courthouse was built in the newly platted town of Bowling Green in 1828 but moved to Brazil, Indiana in 1876.

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Clay County Historical Society

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Owen County

Owen County was formed in 1819. It was named after Abraham Owen, a colonel who died at the Battle of Tippecanoe  .^[2 He was in the Kentucky Legislature in 1798, and a member of the state constitutional convention the next year. Owen served as a colonel and as aide-de-camp to William Henry Harrison at the  Battle of Tippecanoe, where he was killed in 1811. The county seat is Spencer.   The  city now known as Owensboro, Kentucky established itself in 1817 with the name “Owensborough,” in honor of Owen. Two years later, in 1819, counties in Kentucky and Indiana were formed and named for him.^[1]

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Owen County Historical Society

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Greene County

Greene County was formed in 1821, from unincorporated territory and from a portion of the previous Sullivan County. It was named for General Nathanael Greene, who commanded the southern theater in the American Revolutionary War, which eventually forced the British army under Charles Cornwallis to retreat to Yorktown.  Nathanael Greene (August 7 [O.S. July 27] 1742 – June 19, 1786 emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington‘s most gifted and dependable officer

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Miscellaneous Historical Events

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Greene County Historical Society

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Daviess County

Daviess County was founded in 1818. It was named for Maj. Joseph Hamilton Daviess,^[5]U.S. District Attorney for Kentucky, killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. The settlement of the county began along the White River that afforded farmers a convenient means to transport their crops for sale. The county was originally heavily forested in the northeast leading to a thriving timber industry during the first half of the 1800s.   Daviess is said to have been the first lawyer west of the Appalachian Mountains to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court. He married Chief Justice John Marshall‘s sister Nancy, and returned to Kentucky. Daviess served as United States Attorney for Kentucky. He has been described as a “Kentucky Federalist“. In February and March, 1806, he wrote President Thomas Jefferson several letters warning him of possible conspiratorial activities by Aaron Burr.

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Daviess County Historical Society & Museum

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Pike County

Formed on December 21, 1816, Pike County was the first county formed after Indiana became a state. It was named for Zebulon Pike, famous for his Pike Expedition of 1806 – 1807, exploring the southwest portion of the Louisiana Purchase. Pike commanded the 4th Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. He was killed as a brigadier general during the War of 1812 after his men had captured York (now Toronto), Canada

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Pike County Historical Society

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Gibson County

Organized in 1813 out of Knox County. Gibson County was named for John Gibson, an officer in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War,^[4] He was Secretary of the Indiana Territory, serving as acting Governor on two occasions.

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Princeton Public Library

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Warrick County

Warrick Co. was organized in 1813 and was named for Captain Jacob Warrick, an Indiana militia company commander killed in the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.

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Warrick County Historical Society

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Vanderburgh County

Vanderburgh County was formed on January 7, 1818, from Gibson, Posey, and Warrick counties. It was named for Captain Henry Vanderburgh, Revolutionary War veteran and judge for the Indiana Territory.

Evansville named for Robert Evans, who did not actually found the city, but his influence played a role in determining the future of the town. He was the ninth Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives.

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Ohio Counties

Canal Society of Ohio

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Lucas County

The county was named for Robert Lucas, 12th governor of Ohio, in 1835 during his second term.^[4] Its establishment provoked the Toledo War conflict with the Michigan Territory, which claimed some of its area.  Its county seat is Toledo, located at the mouth of the Maumee River on the lake.

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Henry County

The county was created in 1820 and later organized in 1834.^[3] It is named for Patrick Henry, the Virginian famous for his “give me liberty or give me death” speech.

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Defiance County

On March 4, 1845, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Defiance County. The county was originally parts of Williams, Henry, and Paulding Counties. Residents named the county after Fort Defiance, a fortification constructed by General Anthony Wayne’s men prior to the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. Fort Defiance was also important to defending Ohio from invasion by British soldiers and their native allies during the War of 1812.

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Paulding County

The county was created in 1820 and later organized in 1839.^[3] It is named for John Paulding, one of the captors of Major John André in the American Revolutionary War.  Major Andre was carrying in his boot, the plans for West Point received from Benedict Arnold.  Nearby counties in Ohio were named for David Williams and Isaac Van Wart.  Major Andre was hung on October 2, 1780

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