Timeline of Warren County, Indiana history facts for kids

This article shares the exciting history of Warren County, Indiana through a timeline of important events. You'll learn about how the county started, key people, and big moments that shaped it over the years.

The Early Years: 1800s to Mid-1800s

First Explorers and County Beginnings

• c.1802 – Zachariah Cicott arrives in the area. He comes to trade with the local Native American tribes. Many people think Cicott was the first European to enter what would become Warren County.
• 1811 November – William Henry Harrison leads an army through the county. Cicott helps guide them to the Battle of Tippecanoe.
• 1816 December 11 – Indiana officially becomes a state in the United States.
• 1827 March 1 – Warren County is officially created! This happens thanks to the Indiana General Assembly.
• 1827 November 6 – The new county is divided into four main areas called townships: Mound, Pike, Warren, and Medina.
• 1828 March – Warrenton is chosen as the first county seat. This is where the county government would be located.
• 1828 July 8 – Luther Tillotson creates the map for Warrenton.
• 1828 December 11 – Williamsport is mapped out by William Harrison and Perrin Kent.
• 1829 – The town of Baltimore is started along the Wabash River.
• 1829 June – Williamsport becomes the new county seat, taking over from Warrenton.
• 1829 September 28 – The Williamsport post office opens.

Growing Towns and Early Buildings

• 1830 March – Washington Township is formed.
• 1830 September – West Lebanon is mapped out by Ebenezer Purviance, John G. Jemison, and Andrew Fleming.
• 1831 November – The first jail in Warren County is finished.
• 1832 March 5 – Brothers William B. Bailey and Horatio Bailey map out the town of Milford. This town later becomes known as Green Hill.
• 1832 October 5 – Independence is mapped out by Zachariah Cicott.
• 1832 December 26 – The West Lebanon post office opens.
• 1833 April 16 – Rainsville is mapped out by Isaac Rains.
• 1834 March – Steuben Township is formed.
• 1834 June – The first building built specifically to be a courthouse is completed.
• 1838 September 14 – The Potawatomi Trail of Death passes near Williamsport. This was a sad time when many Potawatomi people were forced to move from their homes.
• 1838 September 15 – The Potawatomi Trail of Death continues through what later becomes Kent Township.

Mid-1800s Developments

• 1848 – Adams Township is formed.
• 1849 Fall – A new Warren County jail is completed.
• 1850 – Jordan Township is formed.
• 1850 – Zachariah Cicott passes away and is buried in Independence.
• 1851 – Pine Village is started by Isaac and John R. Metsker.
• 1853 September 6–7 – The very first county fair is held in Independence!
• 1854 March – Williamsport officially becomes an incorporated town.
• 1857 – The Wabash Railroad is completed and runs through the county. This helps with travel and trade.
• 1857 May 22 – Marshfield is mapped out.
• 1857 June 29 – State Line City is mapped out by Robert Casement.

Civil War Era and More Growth

• 1861 February 11 – President-elect Abraham Lincoln gives a short speech in State Line.
• 1864 September – Kent Township is formed.
• 1869 – Green Hill and West Lebanon both officially become incorporated towns.
• 1869 – The Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railway is built across Mound Township.

Late 1800s Changes

• 1872 December – The second courthouse building is completed.
• 1874 July 8 – Johnsonville is mapped out by John R. Johnson, Senior.
• 1879 – James Frank Hanly, who later becomes the Governor of Indiana, moves to Williamsport when he is 16 years old.
• 1881 July 31 – Hedrick is mapped out by Parmenas G. Smith and G. W. Compton.
• 1884 March 3 – Winthrop is mapped out by Jacob Morgan Rhode.
• 1885 February 2 – Kickapoo is mapped out by Lewis Davisson.
• 1886 – The county's third courthouse is built.
• 1889 June 12 – Cameron Springs is renamed to Indiana Mineral Springs.
• 1889 – James Frank Hanly becomes a lawyer and joins a law office in Williamsport.
• 1890 December 25 – A hotel at the Indiana Mineral Springs opens. It is later called Hotel Mudlavia.

The 20th Century: A New Era

Early 1900s Developments

• 1900 September – The grain elevator in State Line burns down.
• 1901 March 23 – Indiana Mineral Springs (which used to be Cameron Springs) is renamed to Kramer.
• 1902 September – Pence is established by Frank R. Pence.
• 1903 February 9 – Judyville is mapped out by John F. Judy.
• 1905 January 9 – Frank Hanly, from Williamsport, starts his four-year term as the Governor of Indiana.
• 1905 November 25 – Tab is mapped out by Harrison "Tab" Goodwine.
• 1907 January 20 – The county's third courthouse building burns down.
• 1907 April 8 – The Tab post office opens.
• 1907 October – Construction begins on the fourth and current courthouse building.

Mid-20th Century Changes

• 1912 – Vernon Burge becomes the first American enlisted soldier to be certified as a pilot. This is a big step for aviation!
• 1916 – West Lebanon's Carnegie library opens, providing books and learning for the community.
• 1917 – Williamsport's Carnegie library also opens.
• 1920 February 29 – The famous Hotel Mudlavia is destroyed by a fire.
• 1922 April 17 – A powerful tornado causes a lot of damage in Hedrick.
• 1932 December – State Line's grain elevator burns down again.
• 1945 – The Chicago, Attica and Southern Railroad is taken apart.
• 1959 – Classes begin at the new Seeger Memorial Junior-Senior High School north of West Lebanon. This new school replaces several older high schools in the county.

Later 20th Century Events

• 1964 September 19 – A passenger train called the Wabash Cannonball crashes into a truck at a crossing in Johnsonville and goes off the tracks.
• 1973 Fall – Seeger High School changes its mascot from the Indian to the Patriot.
• 1978 January – The Great Blizzard of 1978 hits Warren County. It's so bad that schools are closed for seventeen days!
• 1984 – State Line's grain elevator burns down for a third time.
• 1985 April 12 – Donald E. Williams, who grew up in Green Hill, makes his first trip to space! He is the pilot of the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-51-D).
• 1988 July 4 – A fire destroys several buildings in Williamsport near the courthouse. The fire was later found to be intentionally set.
• 1989 October 18 – Donald Williams flies into space again aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-34). He helps to launch the Galileo spacecraft.
• 1995 – Stephanie White from the Seeger basketball team is named Indiana Miss Basketball. This is a huge honor for a high school basketball player.

The 21st Century: Modern Times

Early 2000s Happenings

• 2001 August 1 – An accidental fire destroys the home of John F. Judy, who founded Judyville.
• 2002 – The newly built Williamsport-Washington Township Public Library opens its doors.
• 2004 – Seeger High School wins the Indiana Class 1A State Football Championship! This is a big win for the school.
• 2006 October 8 – A fire causes a lot of damage to the Williamsport-Washington Township Public Library.
• 2007 Fall – The Williamsport-Washington Township Public Library reopens after being renovated.

2010s and Beyond

• 2011 January 26 – A fire destroys a row of buildings in West Lebanon.