A little more about little Pearsonville / Ironwood / Inwood, Indiana (Filson lineage)

Little information can be found on the Internet about the little town of Inwood, Indiana so I am happy to find little trinkets of it's history to share. I have learned the town was originally named Pearsonville as I wrote about in my Dec 3, 2012 post. If you would like to read my previous post about Inwood you can find it by clicking here.

Inwood was also at one time called Ironwood. You can find this information in the book entitled History of Indiana: Containing a History of Indiana, Volume 2, written by Fuller Brant in 1890 on pages 46 and 47. You can access this book by clicking here

Pearsonville now Ironwood - On the 29th day of December 1854 Ezra G Pearson platted the village of Pearsonville and acknowledged the execution of the same.  Accompanying said plat was the following description of the location of said village:

“This indenture witnesseth [witnessed] that Ezra G. Pearson being desirous to lay off a town, has got the same surveyed, laid off and does give the same the name of Pearsonville, bounded as follows: Commencing at the north edge of the Fort Wayne and Chicago railroad, at the north and south open line, 32 rods, 19 links south of the half mile stake on the north side of section number seventeen (17) in township number thirty-three (33), north of range number three (3) east,  thence north on said open line 297 feet, thence north 72 degrees, 23 minutes west, 135 feet, thence south I7 degrees, 37 minutes, 60 feet, thence north 72 degrees, 23 minutes west, 132 feet, thence south I7 degrees, 37 minutes west, 110 feet, thence north 72 degrees, 23 minutes west, 182 feet, thence north 17 degrees, 37 minutes east, 170 feet, thence north 72 degrees, 23 minutes west, 169 feet, thence south 297 feet, thence south 72 degrees, 23 minutes east, on the north line of said railroad 618 feet, to the place of beginning, situated in the county of Marshall and state of Indiana”

In the year 1859 the name of the village was changed to Ironwood. There have been eleven additions laid out and platted, but they are so small that space cannot be given them in detail here. The village used to be quite a lively one, especially in the lumbering business, but now that the lumber has nearly all been cut off, it is quite quiet and it is evident that it has seen its best days, yet it will continue to always be a convenient trading place in the center of one of the best farming districts in the county. There are now two good dry goods, grocery and notion stores, a good grist-mill, a post office, a drug store and other conveniences for country trade.

The town was named Ironwood because of the abundance of Ironwood trees in the area. This tree is a small tree and the hardness of the wood made it suitable for the pioneers to use it for making tools.

According to the Indiana State Gazetteer and Shippers' Guide for 1866-67, Volume 1, Ironwood was renamed Inwood by 1866 and had a population of 200. It steadily grew to a population of 500 as we can see in this 1882 business directory.

1882-83 Polk's Indiana State Gazeteer and Business Directory    1

Transcription:

Inwood is a thrifty village of 500 inhabitants located on the P. Ft.W. & C R'y [Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway] in Centre Township, Marshall County, 6 miles east of Plymouth, the county seat and banking town. It contains a Methodist Church, graded school, several substantial business houses and 1 hotel. In the town and vicinity there are located three saw mills, a flour mill, 1 planning mill, 2 pump factories and a basket factory. The principal exports are lumber, grain and baskets.

Ex., Adams. Tel.,

W.U.W.H.H. Stover, Postmaster

Adams Ambrose, pump manufacturer, 1 mile southeast.

Apple Christian, blacksmith.

Austis Joseph, harness manufacturer.

Barlow Isaac J, pump manufacturer, 1 mile south.

Bell Frederick, druggist.

Bell John F, physician.

Blashinghan Francis M agt P. Ft.W. & C

Clemens William, blacksmith.

Cooper Joseph B, general store.

Cruzan H B, physician, 3 mile south.

Davidson Joseph, blacksmith.

Downing Austin, live stock, 2 miles northeast.

Fisher Christian, general store.

Gerrard George N, saloon.

Gibbons O C, live stock.

Graham W B Rev (Methodist).

Grosvenor Isaac, wagonmaker.

Helmer Pluto, Basket Manufacturer for the Chicago Trade.

Hull David, blacksmith.

Inwood Flouring Mills, Frank Kelsey, Propr; John McAdams, Miller.

Jackson Stephen W, shoemaker.

Kelsey Frank, Propr of Inwood Flouring Mill.

Klingel Rev. (Methodist)

Kotterman Theodore, furniture.

McAdams John, Miller; Frank Kelsey, 50 years milling experience.

McMaster Frank A& Bro general store.

Morris Courtland L, notary public.

Rainer Charles T, physician.

Ritzler Joseph, saloon.

Schafer, Morris & Schafer, Dealers in Dry Goods, Clothing, Boots, Shoes, etc.

Schafer & Morris, Saw and Planing Mills (see adv)

Shively D C, saw mill, 4 1/2 miles north.

Shreve Charles, barber.

Stevens Solomon, wagonmaker and justice.

Stover W.H.H. postmaster and grocer.

Sweitzer Fred L, saloon.

York, William R, Saw Mill and Lumber Dealer, 3 miles south.

 In this 1922 Map of Inwood we can see that housing divisions were set out by Pearson as well as Lee & Dickson, Croup & Coars and Hendricks.

1922 Map of Inwood Indiana   2

In this picture you can see the Inwood Depot to the right for the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway . You can see the signal post and two buildings. Across the railroad tracks is the C.M.Wilkins saw mill.

Inwood Indiana Train Depot   3

For those of you interested in learning more about the people that lived in Inwood and Plymouth in the 1800s, a good place to do research is Google Books. Take a look at A Twentieth Century History of Marshall County, Indiana. It comes in two volumes and you can search on names such as Inwood and find little tidbits. This book was written as part of the centennial celebration in the late 1800s. All counties put together a history of their county with biographies of many of their citizens. You would have to pay a small fee to be featured in the book, it was like a modern day Who’s Who in America. Many in the farming community were not interested, so I did not find much on my family.

History of Indiana: Containing a History of Indiana    4

You may also find it interesting to see old photos of historical train stations in Indiana. Visit the web site for Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum.


Sources:

1) County History Preservation Society

2) Historical Map Works

3) Marshall County Museum Historic Crossroads Center - photography collection

4) Google Books