Ohio County, Indiana

USA / Indiana / Rising Sun /
 county, draw only border
County Seat: Rising Sun
Year Organized: 1844
Smallest County in Indiana by both land area (78 mi2) and population (6,605).

The area-encompassing Ohio County originally was a hunting ground for many Indian tribes. Its elevation above the river made it particularly disease free, and wildlife flourished. The assets that appealed to the Indians also attracted European settlers.

Settlers prior to 1798 are difficult to document because of the “Indian menace.” Until the Northwest Ordinance was official, there were no troops to protect settlers in the area. The first documented settlers were members of the family of Samuel Fulton, an uncle to steamboat inventor Robert Fulton.

The earliest settlers spent daylight hours only on the Indiana side of the river. They posted lookouts on the hillsides to watch for Indians while they cleared fields and built homes, and then ferried across the river for the night.

In 1814, John James of Fredericksburg, MD., journeyed to the area and purchased a large tract of land from Col. Benjamin Chambers, who had acquired it while conducting the original survey for the Northwest Ordinance. James and his son, Pinckney, surveyed the land and platted what was to be Rising Sun. In 1816, he registered the town of Rising Sun.

Several legends attempt to explain James’ choice of name for his small town. Some say it was taken from an early ferry on the riverfront. Others say James chose it because he was so struck by a view of the sun rising over the Kentucky hills.

Descendants of Robert Huston, who arrived with the Fulton’s in 1798, claim family records show Huston named the town. His party was headed downriver, apparently without a destination, and a pregnant woman was among them. For her comfort, they anchored along the bank for the night. Daybreak was so beautiful that the sight was named Rising Sun, and the group decided to make the place its home.

Ohio County, IN (58)
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_County,_Indiana
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   38°58'7"N   84°59'29"W

Comments

  • Number 25 in my list of counties to be traced out. Anybody living in these counties that wishes to put in information about them is more than welcome to. I only know more about Southwestern Indiana than the rest of the state, so I am only limited to what information I do know about them.
This article was last modified 7 years ago