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God clowned her hills with beauty, Gave her lakes and winding streams, Then He edged them all with woodlands As the settings for our dreams... |
| --Arthur Franklin Mapes |
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The Southern Indiana community of Elizabeth and its surrounding area could well have been the inspiration for the first stanza of Arthur Franklin Mapes' poem, "Symbols and Such," which the Indiana Legislature adopted as the state's official poem on Search 11, 1963. Nestled amid the gently undulating hills and surrounding farmlands, Elizabeth loosely embraces her citizens in the security of her history and the traditions of her townspeople. Located in the Southwestern portion of Harrison County, on Section 33 of Posey Township, it is a short drive to Elizabeth from the Kentuckiana metropolitan area where the majorities of today's resident's earn their living or supplement farm income. With the opening of the Northwest Territory in the late 18th century by the passage of land ordinances setting terms for land division, purchase and political organization, settlers were free to move into the territory unafraid of losing their basic political rights and common law liberties. White settlers began arriving in the early 19th century. Early dependence on water transportation caused many of the first to settle on or near the Ohio River along which steamboats traveled as early as 1811. A large proportion of settlers were from Virginia and North Carolina with a few from Tennessee and Kentucky. Many who came from states south of the Ohio were escaping the "curse of caste." "Not a few of the pioneers have left their records that they sought homes here because the land would never be blemished by Negro slavery, and civil and social distinctions be yielded only to those who owned ... [slaves]. Some of the early settlers brought Negroes with them but not as slaves, or if as slaves, they soon freed them in compliance with" the Land Ordinance of 1787 forbidding slavery. It may be reasonably assumed that with at least a few of the early settlers, the desire to improve their status without competition from wealthy slave holders was a more important factor than escaping the moral question of slavery as evidenced by Isaiah Boone's Deed of Emancipation to Amy on May 8, 1812. On the same day, Amy was indentured to him for seventy-five years in return for good and sufficient clothing, diet and all things necessary for her situation. "It was not until 1843, in fact, that slavery disappeared in Indiana, Negroes having been held in some places until then under the fiction of 'voluntary servitude.'" Mostly, early settlers were poor but hard working and industrious and were willing to endure privations of a new country if a home, free and untrammeled was the result of their toil. |
| Organization and Town Government |
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The land for the town of Elizabeth was donated by E. Veatch who named it after his wife. The original plat was recorded on April 17, 1812, four years before Indiana was formally admitted to the union as a state on December 11, 1816. Harrison County was the first county organized by the Territorial Legislature and was officially born October 11, 1808. It was named after General William Henry Harrison, First Territorial Governor of Indiana. It was the fourth county organized in the Indiana Territory. The Ohio River follows the county boundary for almost 40 miles. Thus, it was a natural area for early settlement. Elizabeth is governed by an elected Board of Trustees who are responsible for operating and maintaining the Water Company, cemetery, roads, street lights, and fire department. Residents pay a tax levy of 50 cents per $100 valuation of property. The town grew in size and in April 1831, annexed 8 lots, 4 x 16 rods, and 2 lots, 4 x 8 rods, from Elias Lemmon. On January 1, 1856, a one lot addition was made called, "Hudson's Addition". Additional lots were annexed for Rose Hill Cemetery on April 1, 1905. Annexation now requires 51% of residents' signatures on a petition. Members of the 1980 Board of Trustees are: Randall Schoen, Jessie Dones, Jr., Fred Babcock, and Debra Dones, Clerk. Rose Hill Cemetery is located on the west side of town and perpetual care is given. Joseph Zenor donated the original two acres of land for the cemetery and stipulated that burial was to be interdenominational. Lots in the cemetery now cost $100. On April 2, 1879, George Neamer purchased one lot in Rose Hill Cemetery for $2.50. The town has had its own Marshall during the past as well as a jail but no longer has either since the Harrison County Sheriff's Office has proper authority for law enforcement. The fire department was organized by the town board on December 29, 1959. Herman O'Bannon and Bill Ililler, trustees at that time, went to Corydon and purchased a 1941 International Fire Truck, red, of course, for $200. The fire station is located on the east side of the town on the town square. There were 20 volunteer firemen originally; the number is now 28. Additional funds for the department are raised at the annual Firemen's Supper, which is held at the school on the 3rd Saturday in September. The first supper was held in 1960. Tickets sold for $1 adults, 50 cents children and the first year, $800 was raised. Originally, organizers drove around the area and sold tickets in advance. Everything but the ham and chicken was donated. Farmers gave vegetables and volunteers went into the fields and picked corn and beans when the donor was unable to deliver the items. During the first supper, a transformer was blown out at the school and dinner was served by candlelight until it could be repaired. Many folks exclaimed that it was their first candlelight dinner for $1. No doubt, it was their last! Area merchants now donate much of the food served. The annual menu includes fried chicken (by the men), baked ham (by the women), green beans, corn, slaw, bread, drinks and an array of desserts prepared by the women. Price is now $3.50 adults and $1 children. Over 1,200 people were served in 1980, and $4,600 raised for the department. In addition to the supper, homemade cakes are raffled and there is an auction of goods contributed by merchants. The production has become a community effort and now includes Taylor Township. Word of the annual supper has spread and many come from Kentucky as well as the Southern Indiana area to enjoy the fine dinner and excellent small-town fellowship. |
| Educational Development |
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There was little formal schooling in the state as a whole from the land rush following the War of 1812 until mid-nineteenth century. Hoosiers simply lacked both time and money for education and there was no-free public school system until after 1851. The first school in Elizabeth was held in a one-room log cabin (not uncommon for those days) and was attended by John Low according to his daughter, Clara Jenkins. He was born in 1833; therefore, education was probably available in the area before the middle of the century. Before the turn of the century, seminary education was available at Clay Hill College located in downtown Elizabeth. The high school eventually took over that building, added a room in 1908, and held its first graduation commencement exercise on April 13, 1912. The frame building that eventually replaced the Clay Hill College building burned in 1935 and in 1936, Posey Township dedicated its new brick school building. The building is still in use today for kindergarten through fourth grade. Fifth and sixth grade students now attend school in Laconia (12 miles southwest of Elizabeth) and grades 7-12 attend South Central Jr. & Sr. High School, which opened in 1959. This school is located almost halfway between Elizabeth and Laconia on State Road 11. It has a present enrollment of approximately 400. About 30 percent of the graduates further their education in college. The South Harrison County School Board is presently studying plans for a new high school facility near the present high school building. Plans include moving the Jr. High into the existing Sr. High facility, elementary grades into the present Jr. High, which would eliminate long bus rides for many of the area's young children and would accommodate expected population increases. The new Senior High will house 400 students and completion is expected by 1983. Resident opposition to plans for a new school seems to stem from fear of higher property taxes and a general belief that population trends will not show an increase in needs. |
| Economic Development |
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Early mercantile trade developed rapidly in Elizabeth. Due to the hardships of travel, town businesses had a ready market in meeting the needs of the surrounding population. By 1819, Elizabeth sported her own hotel, built and Operated by Ephraim Griffith mainly to accommodate traveling salesmen. By the late 19th Century, Elizabeth was described as: "... one of the most thriving villages in the county, outside of the county seat [Corydon].... An excellent farming region surrounds it ... It contains the usual mercantile, manufacturing and mechanical establishments necessary for the accommodation-bf-the surrounding community. By the census of 1880, it had a population of 282 souls." During the late 19th and early 20th century, local merchants included a flourmill, blacksmith's shop, undertaker, five general stores, a hotel, doctor and a town Marshall. Road conditions were so poor, residents depended upon local merchants to fill their needs. By the turn of the century, area farmers were producing mainly grain and tobacco. Tobacco was pressed into barrels and hauled to the Ohio River where it was loaded onto paddlewheel boats and taken to market in Louisville. At that time small farmers could rely on the barter system to meet some of their needs. Eggs could be sold to local stores. Government restrictions made it hard for the small farmer to exist. In the late 20's or early 30's, milk inspection began. Small farmers who owned three or four cows couldn't afford equipment and improvements necessary to meet new requirements and thus couldn't compete. Tobacco regulations began in the early 1940's. The year before government regulations went into effect, tobacco brought 10 cents per pound at the market. The next year tobacco prices rose to 20 cents per pound and have risen steadily since. Top price for tobacco was $1.68 per pound at the New Albany Warehouse this fall, while the majority of top-grade tobacco brought $1.66. Tobacco restrictions first applied to the amount of acreage allowed and recently changed to poundage. These regulations have been a tremendous help to the small farmer even though many originally threatened to stop growing tobacco if they couldn't grow any more than the government wanted to allow. By 1966, Purdue University noted that, "There's an interesting trend--the part-time farmer.... about twenty percent of Indiana's farm produce comes from the land of men who have full time jobs in towns 15-20 miles away.... [F]arming on a big scale probably is becoming hereditary. Mighty few townspeople can afford the initial investment of a full scale agricultural operation." According to the census bureau, by 1974, 57.1 percent of the area farmers were working 100 or more days off the farm annually. Harrison County farmland was valued at $519 per acre, with the average size farm containing 124 acres. There were only two farms containing over 1,000 acres. Median income for Harrison County families was $8,478 based on April 1, 1970, figures, and the median value of homes, owner occupied by single family, was $12,051. This does not compare badly with nearby Jefferson County, Kentucky, whose median family income was $9,813 and the median value of homes, $15,380. According to census figures for 1970, Elizabeth's population was 195, down 8.9% from 1960, when it had 214 residents. In 1970, Posey Township had 1,833 residents, which was an increase of 12.9%. Of the 1,833 population, 897 were males, 936 were females, there were 1,830 whites, 2 negros and one "other". Figures for the 1980 census are not yet available, however, many feel there has been a definite increase in population for the over-all area. Cyrus Barnes, operator of Barnes General Store in Elizabeth and a life-long resident of the area, states that he now knows only about half of the people who come through his store. Indiana County Population Projection figures for 1980 through 2000 indicate an expected increase for Harrison County. However, there has been a general slowing down of people moving into the area since the recent gasoline crisis curtailing the distance people are willing to drive to work. Yet, for those who have battled 30 to 45 minute drives in bumper-to-bumper traffic, to travel a mere ten to 15 miles in the metropolitan area, the drive is much more pleasant and not much greater in the usage of gasoline. Major thoroughfares linking Elizabeth with the metropolitan-area were greatly improved by the 1960's and residents no longer depend on the town for their needs. Competitive markets in Louisville, New Albany and nearby Corydon now receive most of the area's trade. As a result, there are now only two general stores in downtown Elizabeth, a bank, beauty shop, tavern, liquor store and pool hall, a VFW Hall, and body shop. Although road improvements may have increased general population in the area, retail trade has been hindered rather than helped. Many area residents are employed at Ford Motor Company or General Electric in Louisville. Most neighboring farmers are part-time, as predicted by Purdue University. Today's agriculture centers around grain, tobacco, soybeans, lumber and cattle. There is some fur trade and limestone quarrying. Residents have become quite adept at repairing faulty water heaters, leaky pipes and the various other odd jobs, which city folk rely upon service-related companies to perform. Becoming self-sufficient seems to be the key to country living. |
| Social and Religious Development |
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Although the downtown area of Elizabeth contains only one church, the United Methodist, there are several located in the surrounding area. The Presbyterian Church, which was dedicated in July 1905, is no longer in use but has relocated in the outskirts of the town. Nearby denominations include both Catholic and Baptist. A little over a year ago, Elizabeth's First Baptist Church welcomed its first full-time pastor, Reverend Wayne Haun, and is presently experiencing a rebirth of fellowship and growth under his direction. In 1977, a very nice tradition was begun by the Methodist Church ladies. A complimentary dinner is provided for the Senior Citizens of the entire community, which is prepared and served by the ladies in the Church basement. Home deliveries are also made to shut-ins so that no one is excluded. The dinner is usually held on the last Tuesday of December and has grown in attendance yearly. The United Methodist Women's Club donates the meats (turkey and ham), the bank donates the napkins, ladies bake pies and donate vegetables, and the basement is decorated in Christmas motif. A festive spirit prevails as the event has proven to be quite popular. Entertainment around the community centers a great deal upon school activities such as basketball games and special programs performed by the youth. There are also several card-playing groups and a square dance club. The Harrison County Park Board dedicated its newest facility this past spring, located a short distance west of the South Central Jr. & Sr. High School. The park has an excellent swimming pool, bathhouse, snack-shop, picnic and playgrounds, tennis courts, ball diamonds, basketball goal, shuffleboard and even a horseshoe pit. The park proved to be a blessing for many of the area's youth during the sweltering heat of the past summer. After working hours, many families could be found playing together in the pool or picnicking under the trees. The new Park is an asset the community is quite grateful and fortunate to have. |
| Conclusion |
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The future of Elizabeth appears bright for those desiring a small, quiet community in which to live, perhaps have a small farm or a few acres to call their own, and raise a family. It is not expected to grow in drastic proportions for quite some tine. For most, the town is a "bedroom community" and will probably remain so inasmuch as there is nothing to draw big business or industry into the area. There is much for the community to be proud of: the occasional deer seen across the fields, clean air and clear running springs, the howl of a coyote heard late at night... these and much more remain for those with a touch of pioneer blood left by our forefathers. |
| Download the original document here in Microsoft Word 2000 format here. [DOWNLOAD] |
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This document was scanned from it's original typed form using optical character recognition software. Minor corrections were made for grammar. Originally Written by Lois J. Carpenter, December 6, 1980. |
