Vincennes, Indiana

 city, county seat

www.vincennes.org/

County seat of Knox County, IN. Vincennes is the second largest city in Southwestern Indiana, behind Evansville at 18,900 people, and the oldest town in the midwest, celebrating its TRICENTENNIAL in 2032.

The city of Vincennes is rich in history. As the oldest city in Indiana, previously a French fur trading post, Vincennes has been at the forefront of the development of Indiana and the Midwest.

Founded in 1732, it was George Rogers Clark and his small army who took the largest land conquest in the revolutionary war away from the British in 1779. Greatly disadvantaged in number of troops compared to those inside Fort Sackville, Clark relied on the marksmanship of his troops and the ability to convince the British of a larger army to win the fort.

In 1800, the Indiana Territory was formed and Vincennes, nestled along the Wabash River, became its capitol. William Henry Harrison became its first governor and then went on to become the United States ninth president. Grouseland, the home he built and the first brick home in the territory, still stands today and is open for tours daily at its location, just south of Vincennes University.

Vincennes was at the heart of many of Indiana`s firsts including site of the first Catholic church in Indiana, first county, first newspaper, first Presbyterian church, first Masonic Lodge, first bank and first medical society and first college.

In 1801, the Jefferson Academy was founded. Eventually becoming known as Vincennes University, this is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States.

Vincennes history is also rich in architecture. Many French influenced homes and buildings dot the city. Many of the buildings are built not only around pre-1900s but also closer to the beginning of the 1800s. For instance the Indiana Territorial Capitol Building, considered the oldest major government building in the Midwest, was built in 1805 as a tailor shop.

Vincennes is often called the train capital of Southwestern Indiana by both locals and commuters from other parts of the area. This is due to the fact that the city has an average of 120 trains passing through every day as well as the fact that the city is cut into four almost equal parts by lines owned by both CSX and Norfolk Southern. There has recently been a push to relocate the tracks, but people living southeast of Vincennes have been fiercely opposed to it, claiming that it would lower their property values.