Identified the Future Site of Indianapolis As the New State Capital
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+ © Copyright Indiana Historical Bureau 1996 + The Indiana Historian, March 1996 1 + The 175th anniversary of the two journals describing the founding of Indiana’s capital city commissioners’ activities are Focus is the impetus for a two-part excerpted. examination of how Indianapolis The report of the commis- came to be. Part 2 will be in the sioners and the General June 1996 issue. Assembly’s acceptance of that Indianapolis was created by report are the focus of pages 12- law to be the permanent seat of 13. Included is a summary of the government for the state. The interesting law that moved the legislative process of locating and process forward to plat and establishing the capital city was establish Indianapolis. The Indiana Historian March 1996 complex. The documentary evi- On page 14, some back- ISSN 1071-3301 Editor dence of that process—sampled in ground of how Indianapolis was Pamela J. Bennett this issue—provides an example named is provided. Lead Researcher Paula A. Bongen of how government works. It also As usual, selected resources Designer Dani B. Pfaff provides a fascinating picture of are provided on page 15. Contributing Editors life in Indiana in 1820-1821. Carole M. Allen, Janine Beckley, Alan Conant, Dani B. Pfaff, On page 3, a quotation and a You Be the Historian Virginia Terpening map provide an interesting over- The Indiana Historian provides re- • How and why was your town es- sources and models for the study of local view of the capitals of the area history to encourage Indiana’s citizens of which became Indiana. tablished? If you live in India- all ages to become engaged with the his- napolis, you might select another tory of their communities and the state of Pages 4-6 include materials Indiana. town in Indiana to investigate. The Indiana Historian (formerly The that provide historical context Indiana Junior Historian) is issued quar- • Explore how and why your town terly from September through June. from the territorial period: a It is a membership benefit of the Indi- was named. See Baker on p. 15. ana Junior Historical Society. It is distrib- timeline of important events, a • When was your town founded? uted free to school media centers, librar- ies, and other cultural and historical groups map of boundary changes, a What evidence is available about in Indiana. Annual subscriptions are avail- able for $5.00. Back issues are available at discussion of why the capital was the settlers’ lives? individual and bulk pricing. moved from Vincennes to Cory- • Have your town’s major anniver- This material is available to visually impaired patrons in audio format, cour- don, and the achievement of saries been celebrated? How? tesy of the Indiana History Project of the Indiana Historical Society. Tapes are avail- statehood and title to Indian • Research the evidence about your able through the Talking Books Program of town and conduct a founders’ day the Indiana State Library; contact the Talk- lands. ing Books Program, 317-232-3702. The process of selecting the celebration to help others know The Indiana Historian is copyrighted. more about their history. See The Educators may reproduce items for class site of Indianapolis begins on use, but no part of the publication may be Indiana Junior Historian, reproduced in any way for profit without page 7 with a law appointing the written permission of the Indiana Histori- December 1991. cal Bureau. commissioners. On pages 8-11, Cover illustration: Commissioners John Tipton selecting the site of Indianapolis. The original painting of this image was by John Tipton was born in Tennessee on English artist, Thomas B. Glessing, circa August 14, 1786. In 1807 he migrated to 1872-1873. No evidence has been located Harrison County, Indiana Territory. Until his about why Glessing painted this scene of death in 1839, he was active in Indiana’s Indianapolis’ past. There seem to be no development. contemporary images of the He was an Indian fighter and agent, commissioners working. Glessing lived in Indianapolis from negotiating important treaties. He served as 1859 until 1873. The painting was first surveyor, sheriff, member of the legislature, reproduced in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated land speculator, and United States senator. Newspaper, September 26, 1874. An In 1820, he served as one of the commis- engraving was made for the book by sioners to choose the permanent site of the Robinson, reproduced here. The paintings state capital. reportedly hung in an Indianapolis high Indiana Division, State Library. A large collection of his papers has been school and were eventually destroyed preserved in the Indiana Division, Indiana State because of significant damage. Library. The Indiana Historical Bureau published a From: (Indianapolis: Picturesque Indianapolis three-volume set of selected Tipton papers. J.R. Robinson Publishers, 1890). 2 The Indiana Historian, March 1996 + © Copyright Indiana Historical Bureau 1996 + Indiana’s capitals Indianapolis was not capital came over to Richmond. Indiana’s first capital. According . The Virginia rule continued You Be the Historian until the organization of the North- to Jacob P. Dunn, an Indiana • Create a timeline showing the west Territory [1787], when the historian, it is the last in a long development and capitals of the capital was transferred to Marietta, line of capitals for the area that area that is now Indiana. Ohio. on the organization of we now call Indiana. • Note the map below. Locate the Indiana Territory [1800], it came to capitals mentioned in Dunn’s . The first seat of government Vincennes. Here it remained until work. Which are missing? Use an was Paris, France,—shifting to 1813, when it was removed to atlas to locate them. Versailles—with the provincial Corydon. capital for the northern part of the • Explore the European arrival to, state at Quebec, and intermediate On the map below, these and effect on, the North Ameri- authority at Detroit; while the capitals have been located even can continent. The September, southern end of the state had its though some were established October, and November 1992 is- provincial capital at New Orleans, later than the political boundaries sues of The Indiana Junior Histo- with intermediate authority at Fort existing in 1760. The map shows rian provide a good introduction to this topic. Chartres, in Illinois. by the current state boundaries to provide a Treaty of Paris, in 1763, the capital geographic sense of place. became London, and the provincial government was centered at Quebec, with intermediate author- ity at Detroit. This . continued until Gen. George Rogers Clark took forcible possession of the region for Virginia, in 1778, and the Quebec European possessions in America circa 1760 Fort Detroit and capitals of Indiana to 1825 Marietta Vincennes French Richmond Fort Chartres Corydon Spanish English capital cities serving Indiana prior to 1825. New Orleans Map and information adapted from: Dunn, Vol. 1, p. [1]; Gary B. Nash and Julie Roy Jeffrey, The American People (New York: Harper & Row, 1986), 87. © Copyright Indiana Historical Bureau 1996 + The Indiana Historian, March 1996 3 + Territorial milestones 1800 May 7—Indiana Changes in Indiana Territory Territory estab- lished (including 1800-1816 what would become Illinois, Wisconsin, and portions of Michigan and Minnesota) with its capital at Vincennes. 1804 December 5— Territory moves into second stage of government, allowing for election of a General Assembly. 1805 January 11—Michigan Territory formed. 1809 February 3—Illinois Territory formed. 1810 December 17, 19—Acts establish a permanent seat of government for Indiana Territory. 1811 January 7—Indiana Territorial General Assembly petitions United States Congress for a donation of land for a capital. 1813 March 11—Act moves the seat of government from Vincennes to Corydon. Sources: Hawkins, Indiana’s Road to Statehood; Ewbank, Laws of Indiana Territory, 1809-1816. 1787—Northwest Territory boundary 1800—Indiana Territory boundary 1803—Indiana Territory 1805—Indiana Territory boundary 1809—Indiana Territory Based on maps from: Pence and Armstrong, Indiana Boundaries, 137, 139, 141, 143, 145. 4 The Indiana Historian, March 1996 + © Copyright Indiana Historical Bureau 1996 + Why move the capital? On May 13, 1800, twenty- Vincennes was passed by the seven year old William Henry General Assembly on February 12: You Be the Historian Harrison was appointed governor Whereas the hostile disposition • What factors might result in a of the Indiana Territory by John of the Indians, and the danger to change in location of a state capi- Adams, President of the United which the village of Vincennes is tal today? States. Under the provisions of thereby subjected, and for the • What would it take, legally and the Northwest Ordinance, preservation of the public acts and physically, to move Indiana’s state records of the territory in this our capital today? Would a move be Harrison had almost total control perilous situation makes it neces- likely? of governmental affairs. Naturally, sary that the seat of the govern- • Apply these questions to the there were controversies with his ment of the territory should be county seat of your county. Which political opponents about various removed to a place where the Indiana county seat has moved in issues. archives of state and the claims of the 1990s? As vast regions of the Indi- individuals should not be endan- ana Territory were carved away to gered . form Illinois and Michigan territo- . the seat of government . ries, some of those conflicts be removed from Vincennes to revolved around the location of some convenient place in said the capital, located on the new territory. western border of Indiana Terri- On March 11, an act was tory—farther from the rest of the passed moving the capital from population and closer to hostile Vincennes to Corydon. Indians. Sources: Barnhart and Carmony, One major issue in the Indiana; Barnhart and Riker, Indiana decision to move the capital to to 1816.