Genealogy

Lockhart Twp. Cities

Past & Present

Pike County,

Indiana
Augusta Buzzard Roost Colgate Fanton Fritz Corner
Hartwell Jonesboro Nubbin Ridge Pikeville Stendal
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Augusta                            
          Augusta was platted in 1872 by William C. Miller. Charles G. Beech and Jackson Corn were the "founding fathers" of Augusta. Both men were large land owners in the community.

        The town was set up in a rectangular form with four streets running east and west and five running north and south. The street names for the new town were Main, Vigo, Bradley, Washington, Coal and First through Fourth. There were 150 lots laid off with the church being located in the center of town.

        The 1876 Pike County map,   which was included in the 1876 Illustrated Historical Atlas Of Indiana, shows the Augusta Post Office was located along the proposed Louisville New Albany & St. Louis Air Line Railway.

       Four roads led into or out of the town at that time. Two roads went south and south east, one was to the west and one was to the northwest. Augusta had a mill and a church located there during the same time frame.

       By 1881, Augusta was a thriving community. The 1881 Atlas of Gibson and Pike Counties, Indiana list Augusta as having a school, tobacco factory, mill and church.

       Augusta business references listed in the atlas include the following: Jesse Agee, Dealer in Dry Goods, Notions and Groceries. W.R. Osborn, Physician and Surgeon, Office and Res. in Augusta.

       Beech who helped " found " the  community, owned the tobacco barns in the area and Corn, the other founder, owned the flour mill. Other businesses were located in the community included two blacksmith shops, a drug store, post office, five general stores, Odd fellows Lodge, brick kiln, Dr. Nathaniel Corn's office and a high school which taught grades nine thru 10.

          This article was written by SANDY McBETH of the Pike County Historical Society for the Pike County Press-Dispatch. This piece of history appeared in the  March 4, 1999 newspaper. Our thanks to Sandy and Frank Heuring, Editor of the Press-Dispatch for allowing its use on this Web Page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buzzard Roost                     No History at this time. Future Project
 

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Colgate                      No History at this time. Future Project
 

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Fanton                          No History at this time. Future Project
 

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Fritz Corner                     No History at this time. Future Project
 

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Hartwell                       No History at this time. Future Project
 

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Jonesboro                   No History at this time. Future Project
 

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Nubbin Ridge              No History at this time. Future Project
 

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Pikeville                      
In the fall 1852, Monroe Township was divided and Lockhart Township was formed. Pikeville was the first town platted in the newly formed township and was laid out on Sept. 18, 1859, by Benjamin C. Clarke.
       Located in the northern section of the township, the town originally had 59 lots. The largest lot was nine and three-quarters acres and was owned by H.H. Hollenberg in 1881.
       The Frank Jones Store supplied the area residents with all of their basic needs as a general store. Jones was also the postmaster and the U.S. Post Office was located in the store.
       Two businesses were listed for Pikeville in the 1881 Atlas of Gibson & Pike Counties, Ind. They were H. Hollenberg, Dealer in Dry Goods, Notions, Groceries. Also Proprietor of Hotel and Post Master and Lyman B. Cook, Carpenter, Contractor and Builder. Also Justice of the Peace.
       The atlas listed one school, School Number Seven and three churches, The German Lutheran Church, Pikeville General Baptist Church and the Church of Christ.
       The Pikeville school closed in the 1940's. Pikeville's nearest neighboring community was Jonesboro, a small community which was located less than a mile north-west of the town. Jonesboro was located on the Patoka River and at one time was a major port for area farmers.
        Some of the early family names in the Pikeville area were, Hollenberg, Chappell, Rhoads, Reisenbeck, Burch, Williams, Melton, Hillman, Broadwell, Stillwell, O'Neil and Lockhart.
       Pikeville is known for having the last covered bridge in the county. The Pikeville Covered Bridge spanned the Patoka River north of Pikeville on State Highway 257. The bridge completed in March, 1887 stood until July 4, 1972, when it was set afire by vandals who had no concern for the demise of the almost 100 year old landmark.
       In March of 1887 when the bridge was completed, the community held a square  dance inside on the wood floor. Early in the bridge's history before traffic increased the children of the  Pikeville community played there, especially on Sundays. Baptismal services were held underneath the bridge in the waters of the Patoka River. It was also used as a ballfield and a dance pavilion.
       There are many stories about the old bridge and young couples of the area. In an article written by Ruth Miley McClellan, for the Pike County History, Bicentennial Edition, 1976, she tells of the rock road on the north side of the bridge and the dirt road on the south. During the rainy season the dirt road was often impassable for the early cars.
       " One young man always brought his girl as far as the bridge, then let her out to walk the five miles alone to her home near Stendal. In spite of this, they were later married," McClellan wrote.
       McClellan also wrote of a certain Mr. Bethel Dearing who was courting a girl from the area. She wrote Dearing was returning home in his horse and buggy late in the evening and fell asleep in the buggy. His horse always took him home on these occasions, but this time there was a heavy rain and when he awoke in the morning he found himself still in the buggy inside the covered bridge.
       "Apparently his trusty steed had horse sense enough to get in out of the rain," McClellan wrote.

      This article was written by Sandy McBeth of the Pike County Historical Society for the Pike County Press-Dispatch. This piece of History appeared in the February 18, 1999 newspaper. Our thanks to Sandy and Frank Heuring, Editor of the Press-Dispatch for allowing its use on this Web Page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stendal         
        The town of Stendal may have been founded in 1867, but it was inhabited for many years prior to that time. The "old Winslow road:, which is one-mile west of the current  location of Stendal, was the only known road from the early maps of the 1800's. This section of Lockhart Township was a well traveled area. Families camped  and passed through on their way westward in search of new homes.
       Stendal owes its beginnings to Frederick H. Poetker and Rev. William Bauermeister. Rev. Beauermeister donated two acres of land, located in Section 12 near the center of Lockhart Township, to the German Lutheran Church. Poetker owned the land adjoining the new church property.
       Realizing his dream  of a new community centered around the church, he had a town platted. It was named in honor of Rev. Bauermeister's home town of Saxony, Germany.
       Poetker was born  in Hanover, Germany, in 1841 and came to America when he was 16 years old. He served in the 65th Infantry, Company H, during the civil war from 1862 to 1865. Poetker married Berdina Niebrugge in 1868.
       The town was platted with 55 lots and laid in a rectangular shape with streets running north and south. The streets were named Williams, Warrick, Main, Broadway, Poetker, Church, Bearhardina, Huntingburg and Washington.
       The earliest known Post Office in Stendal was located in the Martin & Harmeyer General Store in 1880. Harmeyer was the first postmaster. The first Post Office in Lockhart Township was located about four miles northwest of the present site of Stendal in  the home of Temple Woolsey. The mail was delivered once a month to the Post Office by way of the "old Freedonia Road" and rough trails.
       In the 1881 Atlas of Gibson and Pike Counties, Ind, the following businesses are listed in Stendal: P.H. Poetker & Bro. Dealers in Dry Goods, Notions, Groceries, Hats, Caps, Boots, Shoes, Clothing , etc. Also Township Trustee. Martin & Harmeyer, Dealers in Drugs, Medicines, Paints, Oils, Perfumeries, Toilet articles, Etc. Also Postmaster, Farabee & Milian, Dealers in Hardware, Tinware, Cutlery, Machinery, and Farm Implements etc. J.S. Beeler, Physician and Surgeon, Offices and Res. in Stendal, C. J. Agee, Physician and Surgeon, Office and Res. In Stendal.
       The Atlas also showed a brick yard, post office and grade school no.1. According to an article written by McKinley Hagemeyer in 1966 and published in the Pike County History, Bicentennial Edition, Stendal was a " self-contained" community due to its inaccessibilty By railroad, water or good roads.
       Bussinesses listed in the same article included a tobacco barn, cooper's shop, cobbler's shop, two furniture and casket factories, two blacksmith shops, millinery and dress shop, tin shop, wool cording shop, tailor shop, gun smith, wagon works, brickyard, livery stable, grist mill, saw mill, creamery, flour mill, canning factory, three churches, three doctors, undertaker, barber shop, saddle and harness shop, saloon and hotel.
       Doctors who practiced in the Stendal area included Dr. Louis H. Hilsmeyer, who received his degree in medicine, on March 3, 1884, from the Medical College of Evansville, Dr.J.S. Beeler, Dr. David DeTar, Dr. John H. Stork, who received his medical degree from the Kentucky School of Medicine on June 28, 1888. Dr. P. N. Hoover, who received his medical degree from the Kentucky School of Medicine, in June 1881. Dr. Fuller, Dr. Blaize, Dr. Becker and Dr. Barnett.
       According to Melvin Hagemeyer, of   Stendal, the first church was constructed of logs in 1863. It was built in the northeast corner of Stendal and was called St. Peters Lutheran Church. In 1875 St. Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church of Stendal was built about one-quarter mile southwest of Stendal.
       A well known landmark in the Stendal community is  the William Caldemeyer Mill, built over 100 years ago of 10 x 10 timbers and put together by wooden pegs. The Mill was used as grist mill and carding mill. It was originally powered by a huge steam boiler. At one time the third floor of the building was used as a basketball court by the teenagers of the community.
       On Nov.1, 1883, Stendal received national notice when a counterfeiting ring which had operated for some time was closed down by Detective Charles Hobbs, Detective J.M. Killian and U.S. Marshall Foster.
       The counterfeiters had terrorized the citizens of the community by killing livestock, threatening violence, stealing and forcing counterfeit money on them. Marshall Foster and his force of detectives raided the counterfeiters base in the early morning hours. Three men were shot in the confrontation: Jesse Houchins, Joseph Houchins, and Killian. Among those arrested and sentenced to the penitentiary by Judge Woods of the U.S. Court, were Jesse Houchins, Columbus Houchins, Joseph Houchins, Zimri Kinder and Wesley Woods.

This article was written by Sandy McBeth of the Pike County Historical Society for the Pike County Press-Dispatch. This piece of History appeared in the February 11, 1999 newspaper. Our thanks to Sandy and Frank Heuring, Editor of the Press-Dispatch for allowing its use on this Web Page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nowhere                No History at this time. Future Project