by: kathit10Posted on:

The County of Long Ago, by E.R. Brown (part 19): First Trip to Winamac

This is the nineteenth in a Series of Reminiscences by E. R. Brown. Brown was born in Pulaski County on August 9, 1845. His writings are abstracted from the “Pulaski County Democrat” on microfilm housed in the Pulaski County Public Library, Winamac, Indiana. Find links to earlier entries at the end of this article. 

Published in “Pulaski County Democrat,” July 6, 1922

I can readily see that an early experience of a small farm lad, much as it might loom up in his memory, might well be of little public concern.  Yet what he saw at some certain time and conditions as they were then may be of interest to others.

This photo, taken around 1936, is of the first frame house built in Winamac. It was built in 1850, around the time E.R. Brown made his first trip. It would have been in the area that he visited. If he visited before the frame house was built, he would have seen a log cabin in the same location, and as this was the first frame house, all the other homes he saw would have been log cabins. [Source: A Century of Achievement, by John G. Reidelbach, provided by the Pulaski County Public Library]
In order to execute legal papers my parents came to Winamac in the fall of 1849 or spring of 1850. To keep me from mischief at home, or because I begged to come they brought me along.  Chairs being placed in the bed of our farm wagon, they sat in them and I stood behind holding on to their chair backs.  If I had ever been here before, I do not recall it.  I believe I could go now and trace very closely every road on the way by which we came.  Living east of the river, we kept on that side as far as the lower ford opposite the Major Gardner farm and crossing there we followed the Monticello and Plymouth state road as it was then. As a matter of record, I may perhaps be pardoned if I relate where that was.

 The longest piece of that one noted highway still remaining substantially where it formerly was is that extending from Lowey’s grove, north of Pulaski to a short distance this side of the old T. J. Galbreath  home four miles or so down the river.  With possibly a few slight changes the present road between those points is the same as the old one, established almost ninety years ago.  That it should follow the township line between Monroe and Indian Creek, or any survey line as far as it does was an exception to the rule  But instead of running due north this side of the

1876 Plat map from the Indiana Historical Society

Galbreath place as the present road does, the old road continued along the river bank, affording a fine view of the water, including an almost perfect fish dam, until the place known as the Wm. Key farm was passed, and with little if any deviation from a  straight course, cut diagonally across the Phillip Walters farm (now Mr. Whipple’s) and other land and passed the Laben Estes home (now J. C. Ren’s) as it does now.  There the present road turns due north again, but the old one made no turn until it reached the ridge beyond where the railroad now is, where it was joined by the road from Logansport.  When the railroad came it crossed this old road much nearer the river than it does the present road.  Then near its junction with the Logansport road, this old road I am describing, turned and came directly to what was then the south end of Front street at the crossing of Washington street, as many of our older citizens will recall.  The fields south of town, as well as the ground occupied by Rowan’s addition, then stood thick with timber and the road cut diagonally across all of them.

In 1876, the town was still located mostly along Front Street (Riverside Drive) as described by E.R. Brown, referencing his 1849-50 trip to town.

This old road was familiar to a great many people.  Besides being much traveled by non-residents it was for many years the only one by which those living down the river on either side could reach the county seat except in a dry time.  The present road directly south and the one now most traveled to Pulaski and other points down the river on this side were not opened until much later and could not be used for hauling in a wet time until long after they were opened. Almost every family which lived along this old road at an early time is represented at the present time in Winamac.  Beginning particularly at Lowry’s grove we have descendents of the Bowers, Mowrys, Shelharts, Doyles, Nyes, Galbreath, Keys, Estes and perhaps others.  Along this stretch of road our two honored citizens, formerly judges of our circuit court, Burson and Nye, once toiled as plain farmer lads.  Both have dropped corn by hand, covered it with a hoe, tended it with one horse and single shovel plow and husked it when their fingers were stinging with cold.  Both had cut wheat with a cradle, bound it with its own straws and perhaps threshed it with a flail or trampled it out with horses.  And both doubtless have rendered many important decisions while on the bench, which will be cited as good law long after they are gone. I doubt whether either ever gave them more serious thought that as boys they had some problem getting a day off to attend some show or other function and where the price was to come from.

This 1893 Sandborn Map insert shows the town still centered around Front Street (Riverside Drive) and the railroad.

After reaching here I was permitted to give the place the once over and after that no one could truthfully say I had never seen a town with houses on both sides of the street, I did think Winamac was some town. Our town was then mainly if not wholly on Front street between Main and Madison, the west side being mostly occupied with small business places and the east side with cheap dwellings, generally unpainted. I do not recall any of them being more than one story high.  The balance of the town plat seemed to be thickly covered with bushes. I have recently seen a statement that Winamac had 200 people in 1850.  My judgment would be that not over 150 lived in the town limits at the time of my visit.  We now have eleven other towns, nine of them on railroads, three besides this one being incorporated.  If none of them, including our own, has made a remarkable growth it is some satisfaction to reflect every bit of growth that they have made, all the facilities they have developed and the entire wealth that they have accumulated has been because of the improvement of the country around them.  

Some changed in seventy years!

Links to Earlier Articles

  • Part one (Common Inconveniences) October 2018 newsletter.
  • Part two (Land) June 2019 newsletter.
  • Part three (Trees & Timber) November 2019 newsletter.
  • Part four (The River) February 2020 newsletter.

Later editions are carried as separate posts.

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