CHAPTER II
IN THE BEGINNING
An Historical Background of Union Village Lodge

There is nothing more interesting than a study of the beginning of an area--the first settlers, the first cabins, the first marriage, the first birth, the first church, the first school, or the first Masonic Lodge. A research of the early history of Johnson County and Union Township, Indiana, reveals some very interestlng events in the development of this new territory. A brief background story is presented here.

Johnson County was organized under an act of the Indiana Legislature, passed at Corydon, the State Capitol, in December, 1822, based on petitions of people living in the proposed area and given the name of Johnson after Judge Johnson of the State Supreme Court. Officers were appointed and by May of 1823 the territory was functioning as a county. The area was 16 miles by 20 miles, or 320 square miles, and consisted of three townships -- White River, Blue River and Nineveh, which area later divided into nine townships.

Union Township was organized by the county commissioners on July 5, 1830. It is the middle township on the west line of the county between what is now known as Hensley and White River Townships. It is six miles square and contains 23,040 acres of land. It is a typical general farming area with some rough land on the west side next to Morgan County that is better fitted for grazing of live stock--horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. The township is watered by the head branches of streams running from the general direction of east to west--North Stotts Creek, South Stotts Creek, Middle Stotts Creek and Lost Creek in the center.

The first known settler, according to Judge Banta's history, was Bartholomew Carroll who came from Kentucky in 1823 by way of the Three Notch Road, then newly cut out and now known as state highway 135. He settled in Section 34 where John Vandivier built a grist mill in later years.

Another early settler was a widow, Gwennie Utterback, who, with her eight sons and two daughters settled just south of Union Village, building a lean-to against a fallen poplar tree until they could build a cabin. Mrs. Utterback had brought some small apple trees from Kentucky which she planted in the wilderness. These were doubtless the first fruit trees planted in Union Township. Livy A. Young, who wrote the book "A Backward Glance at Old Union", remembers seeing some of these old fruit trees on the Etter farm, now the Harry Schornlck farm south of Providence.

On July 5, 1830, when the township was established, there were more than seventy families living in the six square miles of territory, and three-fourths of them had come from Kentucky. These early settlers endured hard times and many difficult and often dangerous situations in clearing the forest, building their cabins, planting their crops and fighting off a few scattered tribes of Indians who had not recognized the treaty made by the State of Indiana in 1818.

Union Village, a small hamlet in Union Township, was laid out in October, 1835, for Willis Deer and Calvin Utterback, proprietors. The village is situated near the center of the township in the northwest corner of Section 14 and the northeast corner of Section 15. It was platted into thirty-two lots with two streets, Franklin and Meridian, each forty-nine and one-half feet wide; the former running east and west and the latter north and south and crossing near the center of the village. This village site developed as a neighborhood demand for a trading point.

A man named Johnson was the first person to engage in the mercantile business there. Little is known about him. He erected a small shanty and began business, exchanging his commodities for paltries... wild honey, ginseng, feathers, eggs, and various other articles which served the purpose of money. He also sold "fire water" or hard liquor of a cheap variety which got him the name of "Rot Gut" Johnson, and this euphonious name clung to the place for several years.

After Johnson died another pioneer, Austin Jacobs, started a general store in his home two-hundred yards north of the village limits which was valued highly by the citizens of the area. He was said to be a very progressive merchant. Other known merchants who came along later were Presley Glassgo, John W. Deer, Joshua Harris, Henry Jackson, J. C. Drummond, Henry Weyl, Perry and Harris, John M. Simpson and Jacob Dresslar, A. C. Deer and Harve Miller. Mr. Miller bought the store buildlng at the crossroads and the property west oŁ it in 1897. This two-story building was torn down in 1936.

For many years there was only the one store in the village, first a log building and later the two-story frame building situated on the northwest corner of the crossroads, but in the early nineties a brick building was erected on the northeast corner of the crossroads by Henry Vandivier who, with his son, operated a general store there for several years. At the death of the son the store was purchased and operated by Marshall Deer who was followed by Lewis Long, Roy Rund, Orlando Branson, Otto and Charles Sloop, Russell Rund and Maurice Utterback. This store was closed in August, 1953, after serving the community for over half a century and the structure was demolished in 1970.

At one time Union Village had two stores, two churches, two blacksmith shops, a sawmill, a school, one wagon and general shop, two doctors and a U.S. Post Office.

Some of the early doctors were Dr. Wipple, Dr. Wright, Dr. Garr, Dr. Dresslar and Dr. William Province. Dr. Province came from Kentucky in 1867 and lived in Providence and served the community for more than fifty years until his retirement about 1920. He was also known as a breeder of fine horses and mules. He was a community leader who was instrumental in getting the U. S. Post Office brought to Union Village in the early 1880's and the name of the village was changed to Providence in recognition of his efforts. Dr. William D. Province of Franklin is the grandson of this pioneer of Union Township.

At no time in the history of Providence has the population of the place exceeded two hundred people. Today it is known as a quiet residential center of tree lined streets.


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Last update November 9, 1999.