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SHELBYVILLE ED6IN6UP T0100 YEllfISTHU IB THE JUHETY-THIRD Ail-NIYER8AXI OP THE H1HHVG OP THIS CItT AS THE GOVETT SEAT OF BHRLBI COUNTY.R*tHOW THE NT WAS CELEBUIEfiStory of Maa Ihtuen ClMdj At-loehM Wttk Uvea of First Set-tiers of Tswn,This is Shelbyville’s birthday. Ninety-three years ago a board empowered by the Legislature met at the home of D*vid Fisher, located about four miles north of here, and after going over the claims of the various lands offered for county seat purposes, finally decided on the land that now comprises the central part of Shelhy-vllle. The county seat had a narrow escape from being located on the high land now occupied by Forest Hill, and it also had a narrow escape from being called Marion, as that village at that time contained about as many people as Shelbyville. The land owners who secured the attention of the commissioners were simply better wire pullers than the owners of the land rejected. If the forefathers had paid more attention to drainage and less to favoritism Shelbyville would not be bothered to any great extent with many questions that are now perplexing—particularly that of drainage. The contest made against this,location was that it was under «a*r' about two-thirds of the time.R Soui nun and Tue hon of £entcowchu:RwttlfulthlrdurireglenjcTDr.IndlWaiMaeandSEWE¥IIRSMaiof IfraicrirthesangarrotiRol127chaelelt;1JEFi\CE1tydiechfiintyIweamcaleerwotodNe^FbJch was true.Shelbyville was named the county seat of Shelby county on the Fourth day of July, 1822. The event was celebrated by a picnic of the settlers.The picnic ground was the high point of land a little south and east of the Walkerville school house. There were between two and three hundred people in the settlement and the large majority of them were present This story is written from recollection, it having been told the writer by one of the persons who was present.Jacob and Cyrus Whetzei blazed a track through the wilderness that touched Brookville, passing through this section at a point Just south of Marion and ending at the bluffs of White river near Waverly. Jacob and Cyrus Whetzei were brothers of Lewis Whetzei, a famous scout In the war of the American Revolution. Whetzei lived in a settlement near where the city of Wheeling, W, Va., is now located. In the army he was In the same regiment as Nathan Goodrich, who was a member of the Second Connecticut Volunteer Regiment They messed together and were fast friends. When the war was over young Goodrich went to the home of Whetzei with him. When they arrived they found the settlement had been raided by the Indians, most of the settlers had been killed, their homeB destroyed and the block houBe burned. In the massacre a sister of Lewis Whetzei was carried away captive by the Indians. Her name was Susan. Lewis Whetzei was a man of blood. He had made trouble lor the government during the progress of the war through his dare devil exploits. When he found that his parents had been killed and his sister a captive he took a vow that from thav time on be would kill every India*.chat he had the opportunity. He made his vow good/ Every time he shot an Indian he cut a notch in his rifle stock. This rifle is now owned by descendant who lives near Wa-verly. The stock Is literally hacked to pieces, each cut meaning the death of an Indian.No man understood woodcraft better than this man. He devised piau; and after awhile succeeded In tracing his sister to an Indian village. In time he located her and finally effected her escape and together they made their way back to a settlement Susan Whetzei looked good to Nathan Goodrich and they were married. Na-part of the state was surveyed. William Goodrich. At the solicitation ofiti the Whetsels William Goodrich, thenje*inacoichiwlitotreiCoBethiMeknthi«rSotilthafa11cfuPi8l«foorecbieittJ*trir4tldii(Coattnei w Pag* 1 Wuu 4.) , jr
Newspaper Details
Shelbyville Shelby Republican
Shelbyville, Indiana, US
Thu, Jul 01, 1915
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Elyria P.
OH, USA 03 Mar 2021
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