Story of the Month: The Founding of Roann
In 1836, Joseph Beckner and his family arrived in Northern Wabash County from Virginia. Beckner had purchased 600 acres of land on which he proceeded to build a tavern (inn) near the first intersection of the Chippewa Road. This tavern was used by various travelers, both Native and settlers, for boarding and providing a respite for their horses as they traveled the route to Stockdale or Rochester (Indiana).
At the time, the Potawatomi resided north of the Eel River at Squirrel’s (Niconza) Village at Stockdale while the Miami lived south of the Eel River. However, in 1838, the Potawatomi were forcibly removed from the area to Kansas, and by 1840, the Miami, with the exception of some property-owners and families who lived along the Mississinewa River, were removed to Kansas.
In 1853, Beckner decided the area south of the Eel River would be a good place to establish a town and asked surveyor Elijah Hackleman to survey the area. Hackleman did so on June 16-17, 1853. However, the plat was not officially recorded until September 14, 1853.
Selecting a name - Roann - for the new town is one of the more interesting pieces of folklore in Wabash County history. One theory is that a woman, either Ann Breckner or a Native American named ‘Ann,’ was rowing people across the Eel River in a boat, when a storm kicking up prompted people on the shore to call out, ‘Row Ann!’ ‘Row Ann!’ to escape the storm. A second theory is that while Beckner started platting his town, his tavern employed a girl named Ann who was the same age as his daughter Ann.It is said that the town may have been named in honor of the two girls, Other names considered included ‘Annsby’ and ‘Annro’ before town leadership settled on ‘Roann.’
Beckner’s town grew with the arrival of the “Detroit, Eel River, and Illinois Railroad” which was built through the town, bringing major economic and population growth in 1871. Samuel Butterbaugh laid out two more additions to the west side of the town in 1871 and 1875.
In 1877, a new covered bridge was built after the previous three had washed out in the strong currents of the Eel River. Cornelius Halderman, originally from Ohio, bought 520 acres of land from Beckner. Halderman went on to lay out three additions to the town in 1872, 1881, and 1883. He also built a store and the first saw mill on the Eel River.
Roann grew to include several major community buildings including a post office (1860-1901), an Opera House (1883-1980), and Library (1912-Present) The town was home to three schools; the first from 1874-1899, a second in 1900, and the third school in 1941 until it closed in 1962. At that time, the students began attending the newly consolidated Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Wabash County School District. Today the town is the fourth largest town by population in Wabash County, with 441 people as reported by the 2020 census.
ARTIFACT OF THE MONTH
Button commemorating the 2002 restoration of the Stockdale Mill. The Stockdale Mill, also known as Roann Roller Mill, was originally built on the Eel River between 1855 and 1857 and was owned by the Deck/Krom families for over 100 years.
The mill used buhr stones to grind the grain provided by local farmers for flour, corn meal, and animal feed. Besides providing for the surrounding communities, the Mill was used during the Civil War to provide food for the Union Army.
The mill changed over time, with the buhr stone replaced with four ‘breaks,’ machines with rollers to make flour, which led to the name ‘Roller Mill” in the late 1880s. In 1909 and 1910 turbines were used to replace the power source. A weigh shed was added in 1904.
The current concrete dam was built over the original wooden dam in 1915. The mill was in service until 1964, after which it sat idle, still retaining the equipment inside, until 2002.
In 2002, The Stockdale Mill Foundation purchased the mill from the Krom family, and began a restoration of the building. The Foundation offered tours of the building when they were able.
In 2004, the Mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In January 2024, the Foundation board had to stop building tours. A number of floods over the years have deteriorated the footings of the structure. Fundraising is presently underway to address some emergency footing and framing concerns.
Photo of the Month
Old Wabash County Hospital (1927)
2024.265.661
The old Wabash County Hospital, six years after it opened on September 20, 1921.
The Hospital was built on land donated by J.D. Conner Jr. in 1920, to replace the Park Hospital on Hill St. When it first opened, it consisted of 36 beds with two operating rooms and obstetrical facilities. The building included several additions including a nurse’s home and a greenhouse, though both would be removed for later expansion programs. The Hospital served faithfully and is fondly remembered by residents who used to visit and/or work there.
By 2015, the hospital had joined the Parkview Hospital system. In 2018 this structure was torn down after being replaced by a new state-of-the-art facility, Parkview Wabash Hospital which is located just off of US Route 24 on the northside of Wabash.
Attack of the Squirrels
In the early days of Wabash County, there were several animals that presented a danger to the residents of Wabash County, including black bears and packs of wolves. Likewise, the timber rattlesnake, a normally docile snake whose venom was still strong enough to kill a human, was often seen at night.
Another animal that posed a threat to residents, surprisingly, was the squirrel. Wabash was home to three species of squirrel: the Eastern Fox Squirrel, Eastern Grey Squirrel, and the American Red Squirrel (also known as the Pine Squirrel) For ten days in September 1834, the area’s resident squirrels seemed to go berserk, causing them to stampede throughout Wabash County. At the time, the squirrels were compared to an army on the move. So numerous were these rampaging creatures that tree branches collapsed under their combined weight, and like locusts, they completely devastated an area of vegetation and then moved on to the next. Not even the mighty Wabash River could stop the stampede as the squirrels would either cross over tree branches, swim, or even form living chains to allow other squirrels to pass over the river.
For the settlers, these squirrels would go from a nuisance to a major threat as they nearly decimated the corn crops. Farmers defended their crops the best they could, often shooting the small pests to discourage the pack. Sometimes children would be sent out with clubs to keep the squirrels away. After ten days, the squirrels settled down, returning to scampering around parks and yards, foraging for nuts and seeds, and only attacking bird feeders.
Hometown Cultural Corner
From the Files of Leola Hockett, former Curator of Wabash County Historical Museum
Folk Speech in Indiana (1905-06)
Tote - Carry
Mosey - to saunter along
Ornery - common, mean, low down.
Heap Sight, as “More ground by a heap sight.”
Juberous, as “I felt mighty juberous about crossing the river.”
I mind that for “I remember that.”
Sassers, for saucers
Saft for soft.
Pasnips - for parsnips
Fur, for for
Furder, for further
Kin, for can
Purty, for pretty
Ole, for old
Biler, for boiler
Ain’t
Kittle, for kettle
Histed, for hoisted
Jint, for joint
Ruinated, for ruined
Et, for ate
All-git-out as “It’s a rainin’ to beat all-git-out.
Galluses, for suspenders
Exclamatory
Jerusalem crickets
By-jing
Gee Whillikens
By-gum
Shucks,
I Swam
Dad Burn
Laws-a-mercy
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