Penn and Madison Townships

Nestled in the midst of St. Joseph County, the area that is now Penn and Madison Townships was once heavily wooded. In the 1830s, the earliest settlers traveled routes on foot and via horseback, road cart, ox-drawn wagons, and buckboards, following winding paths in an effort to avoid the swamps. Although hardships and inconviences were endured, one gentleman described their advantages upon arrival: The soil of Madison and Penn Township is of inexhaustible fertility and the population is to ...