Athens of the West The first emigrants to the county were well educated for that day. Many were college graduates who believed strongly in the importance of education. Washington County gained a reputation in the 1800s as an educational center, and the town of Salem became known as the "Athens of the West." During this time many students traveled from adjoining counties and from other states to attend the Washington County Seminary under the scholastic leadership of John I. Morrison, Rev. M.M.C. Hobbs and James G. May. The Quakers Advocate for Education for All Quakers were always strong advocates for good schools and did much in early times to place Washington County in the front rank ...
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The Blue River Friends Hicksite Meeting House and Cemetery was established in 1815 and is the 4th Quaker church established in the state of Indiana. This house of worship and community center was the heartbeat of the Quaker neighborhood and was generally described as overflowing with attendees. The Meeting house attracted regular attendance from noted citizens like General Marston Clark, U.S. Judge Benjamin Parke, and Indiana’s first Lt. Governor, Christopher Harrison. The meeting house was divided in 1829, with the introduction of the Elias Hicks into the Quaker life. After this separation Hicks’s followers called themselves the Liberal branch of the Society of Friends, but orthodox ...
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The Blue River Friends Quaker Orthodox Church and Cemetery was established in 1829. The land on which the church and the Blue River Academy was built was donated by Sam & Mary Lindley. The Blue River Academy was the successor of the Washington Academy (the 1st public county school). The Blue River Friends Quaker church is still in operation with services on Sundays at 11:00am.

Charles Lindley Home grandson of pioneers Sam & Mary Lindley, one time Head of Indiana Department of Agriculture….founding member of Salem’s Farmers Club(Oldest in state). Sweet Brier is a George F. Barber designed house and was based on the home plans listed in the original Cottage Souvenir publication in 1887.

Elisha Hobbs and his wife, Lydia Coffin Hobbs were prominent Quakers that migrated from North Carolina to Indiana in 1812, and located on a farm near what was later the Blue River Hicksite Meeting House and Cemetery. They built a cabin of roughhewed logs just west of the site of the home of Albert Thompson. They lived there with their four children until a more substantial home was completed near the Thompson home. Later the estate became the property of Dr. Seth Hobbs, a son of Elisha and Lydia Hobbs. In 1863, Dr. Seth Hobb’s built the present home on the site that is still standing today. The Hobb’s home was always noted for its hospitality, although the arrival of General Morg ...
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The property known as Maple Shade was owned by Marston G. Clark, a prominent early settler of Salem. He and his wife Lucy traveled from their native state of Virginia to the settlement of Louisville in 1798. In 1800 they moved across the Ohio River to live on the Clark Land Grant given by the U.S. government to Marston’s cousin George Rogers Clark. They moved to Washington County in 1813 and after 1827 took up residence at Maple Shade located east of Salem. Marston Clark was Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge #21 in Salem in 1818 and was elected Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Indiana in 1825. He died at the age of 77 and was buried in the family cemetery located on ...
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Morgan’s Raiders in Hobb's Grove The arrival of General Morgan’s Raiders on July 10th 1863 in Hobb’s Grove was certainly alarming to Mrs. Hobbs, her eldest daughter and the youngest child who were home at the time (Dr. Hobbs and his sons being away at other duties). A number of Morgan’s Raiders took advantage of the shade of the grove of large trees to take a rest on their hurried dash through Southern Indiana. The Raiders stay in Hobb’s Grove was brief, much to the relief of the Hobb's family and the Home Guards. Old Settlers Days began in Hobb's Grove Hobb’s Grove was a great place for community gatherings and the first Old Settler's Day celebration was held there on Wednesday, Se ...
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Indian Springs was a community water source for Quakers in the community. Was referred to as "Injun Springs" due to it's prior usage by the local Indian community.

James Levi and Sally Towel Thompson home…….reportedly the Primary Conductor of the Thompson Line of Washington County’s UGRR operation…..believed to be the same home…with a secret circular basement room under the kitchen floor…..Levi was also an elected county official and highly respected citizen, who took more than one severe beating at the hands of Kentucky Slave hunters for his reluctance to comply.

James was born in Pasquotank County, North Carolina and was left fatherless at two years of age. He inherited "a meek and quiet spirit" and also inherited from his father three slaves. As he grew toward manhood, with the aid of his guardian, he gave freedom papers to the slaves and saw that they went north to find their freedom. James received a good education in North Carolina and taught at a few schools while there. James met Elizabeth while teaching and they soon married. Elizabeth was a pupil in James's class. She was 17 years of age at the time while James was 21 years of age. The following year James and Elizabeth joined up with the Quaker caravan that crossed mountains, rivers ...
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John was a free man and a blacksmith living in Louisville in the 1810's, when Thomas & William Lindley (Quakers) were operating a freight wagon service, from Salem to Louisville, and back, when they first encountered each other. At some point John Williams assisted the Lindley brothers with wagon repairs, and he quickly gained their trust and friendship. Sometime before the 1820 Census, the brothers convinced John Williams to move to their father’s and become the blacksmith of the Blue River Quaker Community. He lived approximately six years in the home of Samuel Lindley, before purchasing 160 acres of land for himself, from his friend, Thomas Lindley. He lived, worked and farmed her ...
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Indiana Govenor Eric Holcomb announced during his 2023 State of the State event that the Indiana Department of Natural Resources would award $29.5 million to construct a 62.3-mile recreational trail called the Monon South Freedom Trail. The Monon South Freedom Trail is part of the State of Indiana's Next Level Trails Program Initiative. When completed, the bicycling and walking trail will be the longest contiguous recreational trail in Indiana. The new trail will stretch through 5 Indiana counties (Clark, Floyd, Lawrence, Orange, and Washington), and connect nine Indiana towns and cities (Bedford, Mitchell, Saltillo, Campbellsburg, Salem, New Pekin, Borden, Orleans, and New Albany). ...
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Morgan's Raiders arrived in Salem on July 10th 1863. The number of troops was estimated at 4,000. The Raiders committed many depredations while in Washington County including burning of the Depot, levied a ransom of one thousand dollars on DePauw's Mill, Knight's Mill and the woolen factory of Allen and Co. The arrival of General Morgan’s Raiders to Hobb’s Grove in the Blue River Community was certainly alarming to Mrs. Hobbs, her eldest daughter and the youngest child who were home at the time (Dr. Hobbs and his sons being away at other duties). A number of Morgan’s Raiders took advantage of the shade of the grove of large trees to take a rest on their hurried dash through Southern Indi ...
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http://www.kinstories.com/morris-and-white.html Original Homestead Each family selected a place for a home, usually near a spring or flowing water. Jehoshaphat elected to purchase a farm with two springs, one a source of Blue River, about 10 miles NE of Salem, (in the NW 1/4, Sec. 21, T.3N; R 5E.) which had been entered by Thomas Thompson. Additional acres were purchased for a “bit” per acre (12 1/2 cents) and some others were added by original entry. This became the “original homestead” of our branch of the Morris Family. Original Homestead still in the Family In 1818, the eldest brother, Aaron, came over with his family of four sons (three more sons were born in Indiana) and se ...
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Nathan built a beautiful and substantial home which was named Cypress Hill in 1817. It was a long, two-story frame building facing south. The house was large, having a parlor and guest room on the west; sitting room and two bedrooms, dining room, pantry, and kitchen with other rooms on the north; and a number of bedrooms on the second floor. A veranda ran the whole length of the south side of the building, which was usually painted white. The homestead was named Cypress Hill because of a cypress tree which had been planted by Elizabeth, the eldest daughter. Four seeds had been brought from North Carolina; from one of the seeds grew the very large cypress which symbolized this strong and v ...
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Evidences of the primitive inhabitants of the county - the mound builders - are found in the area. According to newspaper reports from the early 1900's, a mound was dug into and examined by persons living in the neighborhood. In the mounds were found human bones in a decomposed state, fragments of pottery and flint arrowheads. Native Americans mounds are present at an undisclosed location within the Blue River Quaker Settlement.

Glenwood is one of the only houses yet remaining from the pioneer days of Washington County. The original farmstead consisted of 240 acres Constructed between 1808-11, Quaker Fort in the War of 1812….one of the first established mills in the county, using a horse-drawn affair……also likely involved in the UGRR. Samuel was left in charge of the Royse’s Lick settlement, when most of the other men were away in the Indiana Militia, he was appointed the first head of the county’s education board, and he served in the state legislature in 1819 at Corydon. Cabin passed next to William Lindley, then William Braxton Lindley, whose second wife was the artist Viola Wolfe Lindley. Three years aft ...
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About Samuel & Priscilla Trueblood Perhaps there has never been a better example of marital felicity than that of Samuel and Priscilla Trueblood. Samuel and Priscilla declared their intent to wed on the third of June 1845 in front of the Blue River Monthly Meeting. Samuel Trueblood was the son of Caleb and Mary Trueblood. Priscilla (Wilson) was the daughter of Henry and Deborah Wilson. The couple were married for nearly 61 years. They lived on this farm for 60 years and Samuel was a preacher at the Quaker Church for over 60 years. Samuel was eighty-five years of age and Priscilla was eighty-two years of age when they died. Their lifelong companionship was not even broken by their de ...
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This picture should show the length of the log. Barn built in 1834. So the tree had to grow in the 1700's. Rita Trueblood

This three-story barn located on Maple Shade was built in 1891 by Isaac Brooks and Lew Stanley for Thomas A. Louden. Included in the barn was a milking parlor, an indoor silo, second story grain storage with automated filling of wagons, a huge loft for storing hay and several stalls for animals. In 1899 a large windmill was also added to the farm. Thomas A. Louden and his wife were from a well-to-do family. In 1972 the water tower was still standing, however, it had to be torn down because of damage from termites. A huge cypress water tank was located in the top of the structure with a small trap door that led to a walkway around the tank. Local folklore relates that the water tower ...
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Nathan Trueblood homesite and the Trueblood Canton Mill(1820-1920)……early, influential Quakers, very prominent farmers and millers…helped establish the Washington Academy (& donated land)...established mill commonly known as a recognizable stop on the county’s UGRR….Orthodox meet here in 1829 until new church opened in 1830…..original homesite on Indian burial grounds/prehistoric village.

The Washington Academy was the forerunner to the Blue River Academy. It was built in 1817 by Quakers at the west end of Canton. Quakers built a brick school house in 1831 just east of the present meeting house. By 1860 that school was too small and in 1864 they built the Blue River Academy.

Nathan C. Trueblood was the son of William N. and Isabel Albertson Trueblood. He was born March 1st 1846 and died suddenly of heart trouble on January 3rd 1911 at the age of 64 years. Nathan had always been a member of the Blue River Quaker Community. The two-story, red-brick house not far from the Blue River Friends Orthodox church was built by William Trueblood in 1829 as a wedding gift for his son, Nathan, and his bride Maria Ellen Huston. The gift included 160 acres of farm land as well. The house is just two miles northeast of the “Old Lone Cypress Tree”, where the Truebloods had made their home in 1815 when they first arrived in Washington County. In 1901, the homeplace was boug ...
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William Penn Trueblood home……claimed to be the brain trust of Washington County’s UGRR operation and James Levi Thompson’s righthand-man, collaborating with the other religious groups and free blacks assisting in the secreted system…..also the original settlement of William & Mary Pitts Lindley, who eventually moved to the forks of Blue River and Brock Creek, where the state appointed commissioners met to decide upon a county seat, when Mary was allowed the opportunity to name the town…..the lumber for the Quaker Hicksite Meeting House was cut at William’s sawmill in Salem.