The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-12
SOME EARLY LOCAL HISTORY.

A few days ago the Journal published a
dispatch from Elwood, Ind, stating that
the people of that vicinity were interested
in a plan for the preservation of a famous
landmark at Strawtown, a village eight
miles southwest Of Elwood. The dispatch
continued:
The landmark referred to is the old log
house there in which the State Capital
Commission met eighty-three years ago and
selected Indianapolis to be the seat of the
Hoosier capital. In 1919. three years after
Indiana had been admitted TO statehood,
IL was decided TO remove the capital from
Corydon in the extreme southern part of
the State. to a more central location.
Strawtown was one OF the candidates for
the seat OF government and 1t was there
that the commission which was appointed
10 decide that matter met Tradition has
II that indianapolis won over Strawtown
by the narrow margin of one vote, one
member of the commission, who favored
the defeated city, having gone to White
river on a fishing expedition, linking his
own town had sufficient support to win
without his vote. Two years later the In
diana Legislature accepted the report of
the commission and concurred in il, and
indianapolis, then a hamlet of a few dozen
cabins, became the capital of the State.
Strawtown now has a population of less
than q hundred.
IL there is any foundation at all for this
tradition it must be very slight. Certainly
the statement that in selecting a site for
the capital Indianapolis won over Straw
town by only one vote is erroneous, for the
report of the commission in favor of the
present site was unanimous. The facts
briefly are these: After the admission of
Indiana as a State IL was found that Cory
don was not favorably located for a perma-
nent capital, and on Jan. IL, 1920, the
Legislature passed ian act appointing COM
missioners to select and locate a site for the
permanent seat of government Of Indiana"
The act provided that George Hunt. of
the county of Wayne; John Conner, of the
county OF Fayette; Stephen Ludlow, of the
county of Dearborn; John Gililand, of the
county of Switzerland: Joseph Bartholo-
NEW. of the county of Clarke; John Upton,
OF the county of Harrison: Jesse B.. Dur
ham, of the county OF jackson; Frederick
Rapp. OF the county Of Posey; William
Prince, of the county of Gibson, and
Thynas Emmerson. of the county of Knox.
be and they are hereby appointed commits
sioners to select locate a site for a
permanent seat of government of the State
OF Indiana" This commission represented
nearly every COUNTY in the State at that
time. The act authorized the Governor to
notify the commissioners to meet lat the
house of William Conner. on the west fork
OF White river, on a day to be named -
when IL "shall proceed to view. select and
locate among the lands OF the United
States which are unsold. a site. which, in
their opinion. shall be most eligible and
advantageous for the permanent seat of
government Of Indiana. embracing four
| sections. or as many fractional sections as
will amount to four sections" This house
Of William Conner may be the log cabin
| at Strawtown referred TO In the above dis
patch. Strawtown is a few miles northeast
OF Noblesville. and Conner was a pioneer
trader. 1t Is possible that different sites
for the permanent capital may
have been considered, but there Is