Hidden History of Wabash County, Indiana

by Ron Woodward

Overview

Take the road less traveled through Wabash County's forgotten stories and overlooked characters. Bob Printy may have run off to join the circus, but Jocko the monkey decided to make Wabash his home after he escaped a traveling carnival. Discover the story of Chief LeGros and learn what life was like in nineteenth-century Wabash County. Spend some time with Tommy R. Miller, who sacrificed his life caring for fellow servicemen in Vietnam. Author Ron Woodward shares the compelling, little-known history of this Indiana county.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625855831
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	01/22/2025
Series:	Hidden History
Sold by:	OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED - EBKS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	131
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Ron Woodward graduated from Indiana University while serving in the United States Navy and received his master's degree from Ball State University. He has taught in the Greater Clark County school system, Muncie School system and Wabash City Schools. Ron has served as president of the Wabash County Historical Society and the Wabash County Genealogical Society, which he helped to form. Among other awards, Ron was named 2000 Hoosier Historian by the Indiana Historical Society.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

Part I Hidden History of Early Wabash County

Will the Real Chief LeGros Please Stand Up? 9

Creeks of Wabash County 13

Early Mills in the County 15

Halley's Comet Has a Long History 18

Newcomers Welcome at Treaty Grounds 20

An Illustrated History of Little Bear Woman 26

Log Cabins of Wabash County 28

The Tale of the Irishman's Pond 31

Wabash Patriotism 33

Part II Hidden History of Life in Wabash County

Toll Roads 35

Railroad Stations Dotted the Landscape 37

The Making of Maple Syrup 40

Superstitions in Wabash County 43

USS Wabash 44

The French Family Murders 49

Belden 50

The Second Worst Crime in Wabash County 56

The Ring of the Escaped Slave 58

A Glimpse of life in Wabash County in 1867 59

The African American Methodist Church in Wabash 63

The History of Falls Cemetery 64

Winter Fun 68

South Side Streetcars Had Their Problems 70

Part III Hidden Entertainment

Gypsies Will Gladly Tell Your Fortune 73

The Misinformed Teacher 75

Boyd Park 77

Daredevils "Entertain" Wabash Citizens 82

Gene Stratton Porter: Author, Naturalist and Photographer 84

Jocko on the Loose 88

Part IV Forgotten People, Business and Industry

Jones Funeral Home 91

Diehl Machines 94

"Wabash" George Mullin 97

An Illustrated History of the Wabash Sweet Shop 100

Bob Printy 102

The Wabash High School Ticket Booth 108

Big Foot Attacks 110

Tommy R. Miller: Wabash County Hero 113

The Kidnapping of Baby Jesus 116

Bibliography 121

About the Author 123