 Jackson
County, named in honor of General Andrew Jackson, was organized in 1815.
It is bounded north by Brown and Bartholomew counties, east by Jennings and
Scott, south by Washington, and west by Lawrence and Monroe, and it contains
about 500 square miles. It is divided into eleven civil townships, viz:
Driftwood, Grassy Fork, Brownstown, Washington, Jackson, Redding, Vernon,
Hamilton, Carr, Owen and Salt Creek. The population in 1830 was 4,894, in
1840, 8961, and at this time [1849] about 12,000. A range of hills passes
through the center of the county from the northeast to the southwest, and
there is another range of hills or knobs in Salt Creek Township, in the northwest
part of the county; but the face of the country, for the most part is either
level or gently undulating. The bottoms along the different streams are very
large and rich, and they compose about one-forth of the whole county. The
soil is of every variety, sandy clay, loam, etc., and the timber is of the
best quality on the various soils to which it is adapted. The constant increase
of the surplus products of the county shows that its agriculture is in an
improving condition. Pork, beef, corn, flour, wheat, oats, beans, fruit,
cider, potatoes, plank, staves, etc, are taken to the different points on
the Ohio River in wagons, or to the southern markets in flat boats, and they,
with hogs, cattle, horses and mules exported, yield over $200,000 annually.
It is estimated that there are usually 50.000 acres in corn, the product
of which is over 2,000,000 bushels. There are in the county eighteen stores,
six groceries, eighteen gristmills, sixteen sawmills, two carding machines,
six tanneries, four lawyers, fifteen physicians, seventeen preachers, about
eighty mechanics of the trades most in demand, and twenty churches for the
Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Friends and Reformers. The taxable land
in Jackson County amounts to 234,000 acres, and about 70,000 acres still
belong to the United States. The situation of this county, the soil, water
privileges and other advantages it possesses would, if properly improved,
rank it among the best counties in the State.
In the northeast corner of the county, in the bed of White River, is a solitary
boulder of granite, weighing several tons. No other rock of any kind is found
in the vicinity. In the same neighborhood is a large mound, about 200 yards
in circumference at the base. On this spot, in 1812, a marauding party of
Indians held a council to decide whether they should retreat or fight a party
of 30 men, under Captain (afterwards General) Tipton, then in close pursuit
on their trail. Resistance was determined on, and they stationed themselves,
very advantageously, on an island, since known by the name of Tipton's Island,
which was connected to the shore by a drift, and in one place only by a single
log. Over this Tipton rushed with his men, and he being so fortunate as to
kill the principal Indian, who, at that moment, was taking aim at Major Beem,
the rest of the Indians fled with the loss of most of their men, and without
doing any injury to the soldiers. |
