Putnamville, Indiana

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Putnamville, Indiana
Historic National Road - Putnamville Methodist Church - NARA - 7719366.jpg
Putnamville United Methodist Church
USA Indiana location map.svg
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Putnamville
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Putnamville
Coordinates: 39°34′22″N86°52′25″W / 39.57278°N 86.87361°W / 39.57278; -86.87361
Country United States
State Indiana
County Putnam
Township Warren
Elevation
[1]
702 ft (214 m)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
46135
Area code 765
FIPS code 18-62406 [2]
GNIS feature ID2830507 [1]

Putnamville is an unincorporated community in Warren Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. [1]

Contents

History

Putnamville was laid out in 1830. [3] The community took its name from Putnam County. [4] A post office called Putnamville has been in operation since 1832. [5] The community was pioneered by James Townsend and his recently emancipated slaves. [6] [7]

The Townsends

Some historians group the early Townsends of Putnamville into the "Black Townsends" (emancipated persons who assumed James Townsend's surname) and the "White Townsends" (biological relatives of James Townsend). [6] [8] The Townsend/Layman Museum in Putnamville is named after Townsend. [6] [7]

Black Townsends

The Black Townsends were the first Black settlers in Putnam County, Indiana. [9]

According to James Townsend's grandson, James Layman, they included Luke, Hetty, Amy, Tom, Sibley, and others. [10] Layman told historian Jesse Weik that Sibley was the oldest of those who removed to Indiana and that she continued pipe smoking until after the age of 90, recalling her doing so during visits to the residence of his grandmother — James Townsend's wife — Katherine Townsend. [10] She was probably the mother of Luke Townsend. [8]

Luke Townsend

Luke Townsend – who was the au pair for James Townsend's daughter, Mary, prior to his emancipation – established the first Sunday School in Putnam County and is credited as the founder of the congregation that eventually became Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Greencastle, Indiana, at one time the largest Black church in Indiana. [11] According to a 1942 article in The Daily Banner of Greencastle, Luke Townsend was after death remembered as "one of the best citizens the county has had." [12]

Luke Townsend had five children. [8] One son, Robert Townsend, served in the 28th United States Colored Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. [13] Another son was among the witnesses who, in the late 1800s, testified against a man arrested for harassing Black youths playing in a field in Putnam County in what became the first case of a white citizen being criminally convicted on the basis of the testimony of a Black citizen in Putnam County. [13] Luke Townsend's son Jay, who was still alive as of 1933, established a reputation as one of "Greencastle's most respected citizens". [14]

White Townsends

Among James Townsend's children was John Selby Townsend, who later sat in the Iowa General Assembly and served as county attorney of Monroe County, Iowa. [15] James Townsend's grandson, James Robert Townsend, was the first United States man to complete teacher training under the tutelage of Maria Montessori. [16] Another grandson, James Layman, sat in the Indiana State Senate. [17]

Geography

Putnamville is located along U.S. Route 40 at the intersection of State Road 243.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Putnam County, Indiana</span> County in Indiana, United States

Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 36,726. The county seat is Greencastle. The county was named for Israel Putnam, a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War. The county was created in 1821 and organized in April 1822.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bainbridge, Indiana</span> Town in Indiana, United States

Bainbridge is a town in Monroe Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 746 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greencastle, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, United States

Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It is located near Interstate 70 approximately halfway between Terre Haute and Indianapolis in the west-central portion of the state. The city is the home of DePauw University. The population was 9,820 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roachdale, Indiana</span> Town in Indiana, United States

Roachdale is a town in Franklin and Jackson townships, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 926 at the 2010 census.

Mount Meridian is an unincorporated community in Marion Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Primarily on US 40, it is approximately 34 miles (55 km) west of Indianapolis. It is called Mount Meridian due to its being the highest place in the county and surrounding areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloverdale Township, Putnam County, Indiana</span> Township in Indiana, United States

Cloverdale Township is one of thirteen townships in Putnam County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,887 and it contained 1,698 housing units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Township, Putnam County, Indiana</span> Township in Indiana, United States

Russell Township is one of thirteen townships in Putnam County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 755 and it contained 335 housing units.

Reelsville is an unincorporated community in central Washington Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It lies along local roads just north of U.S. Route 40, southwest of the city of Greencastle, the county seat of Putnam County. Although Reelsville is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 46171.

Appleyard, also known as the Alexander C. Stevenson Farm, is a historic farm located on the south side of State Road 240 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Greencastle in Putnam County, Indiana. The farm was the home of Alexander Campbell Stevenson, an Indiana politician and agriculturalist. Stevenson founded the farm in 1843 while serving in the Indiana House of Representatives; he later served as speaker of the assembly. Stevenson bred shorthorn cattle and merino sheep on his farm using modern methods and became a prominent agricultural expert in Indiana. As a result of his efforts, Stevenson was appointed to Indiana's first State Board of Agriculture in 1851; during his tenure on the board, he helped establish the Indiana State Fair. Stevenson later served as president of the Indiana Shorthorn Breeders Association and the American Shorthorn Breeders Association.

Alexander Campbell Stevenson was an American farmer, physician, and politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manhattan, Indiana</span> Unincorporated community in Indiana, United States

Manhattan is an unincorporated community in central Washington Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

New Maysville is an unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

Barnard is an unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

Carpentersville is an unincorporated community in Franklin Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

Fincastle is an unincorporated community in Franklin Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

Groveland is an unincorporated community in Floyd Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

Limedale is an unincorporated community in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

Pleasant Gardens is an unincorporated community in Washington Township, Putnam County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.

Delano Eccles Williamson was an American lawyer and politician who served as the seventh Indiana Attorney General from November 3, 1864 to November 3, 1870.

James Townsend was an American farmer, politician, and abolitionist who was among the early pioneers of Putnamville, Indiana.

References

  1. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Putnamville, Indiana
  2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. Weik, Jesse William (1910). Weik's History of Putnam County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen. p. 181.
  4. Baker, Ronald L. (October 1995). From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History. Indiana University Press. p. 273. ISBN   978-0-253-32866-3. ...named for the county in which is located.
  5. "Putnam County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 "The History of Putnamville". putnamcountymuseum.org. Putnam County Museum. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Putnamville offenders recreate history in rehabilitation of Townsend Inn". Banner Graphic. September 5, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Etcheson, Nicole (2023). A Generation at War: The Civil War Era in a Northern Community. University Press of Kansas. p. 81. ISBN   0700635157.
  9. "Early Black Settlements by County". indianahistory.org. Indiana Historical Society . Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Weik, Jesse (1910). History of Putnam County, Indiana. Bowen & Co. p. 200.
  11. Cooper, Arnold (Winter 1999). "Plenty Good Room: Bethel A.M.E. Church of Greencastle, Indiana, 1872–1890". Journal of Negro History . 84 (1): 101–111. doi:10.2307/2649087.
  12. "Stone Wall on Columbia Street". The Daily Banner. June 20, 1942. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  13. 1 2 Slabaugh, Seth (December 29, 2014). "Was black Civil War soldier poisoned?". The Star Press . Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  14. "Old Timer Ill". The Times News. November 29, 1933. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  15. The Bench and Bar of Iowa: Illustrated with Steel and Copper Engravings. American Biographical Publishing Company. 1901. pp. 168–169.
  16. McGroarty, John Steven (1921). Los Angeles from the Mountains to the Sea. American Historical Society. p. 503.
  17. Commemorative Biographical Record of Prominent and Representative Men of Indianapolis and Vicinity. University of Wisconsin. 1908. p. 249.