'76 "Star Spangled Days," A Bicentennial Commemorative of Jackson County, Indiana, the Jackson County Bicentinnial commemorative booklet, printed by the Brownstown Banner. It had 76 pages. Humerous, no?

Pershing Township and Salt Creek Township

By Harrell Forgey

Salt Creek and Pershing Townships occupy the northeast portion of Jackson County. Originally the two townships were together, with a aotal of 75 square miles, or 48,000 acres, were established in 1821.

The towns are as follows: Freetown, Houston, Spraytown, Maumee.

Freetown, originally known as Freeport, is located in a beautiful vallwy in the southeast corner of Pershing Township, Jackson County. With love, respect and I bit of nostalgia I will attempt to edit and copy from the meager records of our early pioneer ancestors, which have been left for us to enjoy and appreciate.

In 1837 Mr. George Motsinger entered 191 acres of land from the Unites States government. In 1846 four blocks of this acreage were surveyed and platted by Mr. Rosenbaum and became the original town of Freeport. The plat was recorded and the lots were sold by James Ireland. George Rosenbaum also owned and operated the first general store.

In 1850, a post office was obtained, but due to the fact that there was already another Freeport in Indiana, the town's name was changed to Freetown. At this time it was officially recorded at the courthouse at Brownstown. On May 4, 1850, Charles Rosenbaum was appointed the first postmaster at the Freetown post office. The mail was carried from Brownstone to Freetown once each week by Mr. Jesse Lucas and on from Freetown through Houston and Maumee by M. Riley Combs. At one time the post office was conducted by an old settler who could neither read nor write. When the patron called for his mail, it was all laid out and he selected his own mail, thus releiving the postmaster of responsibilities and mistakes.

The earliest settler in the Freetown vicinity was Mr. Lucas, who built a log cabin just north of the present day Russell Spurgeon home. Other settlers were Joel Jackson, Phillip Highnote, Thomas Scott, John Scott, Arthur Martin, John Blerings, Silas Mahuron, Jesse Isaacs, Squire Sims, A. I. May, Mrs. Mahala Motsinger, Evan Scott, Levi Spurgeon and Rev. Samuel R. Smith. The first white child to be born in Freetown was "Uncle" Jessie Lucas on August 28, 1846.

The first home in Freetown was a very interesting place. It was built without nails. The doors were made of boards with wooden hinges. The roof was fastened on by weight poles. The food on the table of the pioneer consisted almost entirely of what he produced with his own hands and the wild game he was able to obtain, which was very abundant at this time and consisted of squirrels, deer, wild turkey and fish. To obtain groceries and other necessities, it was necessary to make trips to Brownstone, Salem and on occasion, to Louisville, Kentucky.

A short time later, as settlers came in and established homes, one of the interesting features of the pioneer's life for old and young was the "Gatherings." These were of different nature and usually for some useful purpose, such as wool picking, corn husking, wood chopping, butchering and log rolling.

The log rollings were held after the forest trees had been felled by the woodman's axe. The longer trees had to be burned in two in order that the men could carry and lay them in heaps for burning. The logs were carried by means of band spikes, which were small saplings cut in six foot lengths. Two men to the spike on each side of the log and it sometimes took a dozen or more to carry the log. The fine timber destroyed in this way would today be worth a fortune.

Early church services in Freetown were held in homes. A short time later, some of the early church services were held by George Motsinger in his log barn on what is now known as the Dr. Chute farm, north of Freetown. In 1855 a United Brethren Church was built of logs on the site which is now known as the Jim Wheeler residence, and was used by both the United Brethren and Methodists. In 1869 a new church was built by the Methodusts and used by both United Brethren and Methodists. The church had two front doors and the pews were partitioned, thus men sat on one side and women on the other.

The first school house was located at the rear of what is known as the "Old Hotel" and would have faced the present home of "Babe" Spurgeon. It was made of round logs with one door and window. Inside there was a huge fireplace with a mud and stick chimney. The seats were split logs with sticks in them for legs. A quill pen and homemade dye were used to write with when they were unable to get a small amount of paper, also a slate or two were obtained.

The second school was built on south lot of Frank Denny property. In 1889 a two story school house was built with….. (Page 57)

Salt Creek and Pershing Townings

Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Houston, Winfrey Lutes, Marcus Lutes and Pearl Lutes, signed the deed over to the trustees of the Christian Church of Houston, Clyde Noe, Perry Allen and Riley Lutes and their successors in the office for the sum of $175.00 and the deed was recorded in the Jackson County Book of Deed Records, number 80, page 448 on May 19, 1934.

This building was dedicated December 2, 1934 as the Houston Christian Church, Minister R. C. Buck and trustees were Clyde Noe, Riley Lutes and Perry Allen.

The church elders underwent an extensive building in 1966 with the building of classrooms, rest rooms, storage room, kitchen and dining room. Builkding committee J. C. Pearson, Edwin Garloch and Bruce McKinney Jr. Lucas & Ackerman Supply Company of Brownstown were the contractors. The bid was $17,500.

Louis banks of Seymour, Indiana is now trhe full time minister. The average attendance of Bible school and worship service stands at 55.

Freetown United Brethren and Methodist

One of Jesse D. Lucas' earliest recollections was the religious services held by George Motsinger, member of the United Brethren Church, at his log barn. The barn was located on what is now known as the Chute farm, one fourth mile north of Freetown (just north of the old cemetery). The barn had a tramping floor through the center with a tier of stalls on each side. These meetings were not very formal affairs but served a very real purpose for the community, and many men and women attended in the summer without shoes. Sometimes the young ladies carried their shoes until they were near the church and then dressed their feet, thus saving shoe leather.

The tramping floor was used in threshing. The heads of grain were placed on the floor and a horse was driven about over them to tramp out the kernals. It was in the room containing the tramping floor where the religious services were held.

In 1855 the United Brethren erected a log church on the corner west of Glendenning and south of North 3^rd Street (this would be across the street from the present location of the Freetown United Methodist Church). This church was used by both the United Brethren and Methodists until 1869 when a new church was erected across the street on the location of the present Methodist building. This lot or plot of ground on which the church was erected was purchased by deed from Reuben W. Hudson and Martha J. Hudson, his wife, for the sum of $55.

This building was built by both denominations, but was dewdicated as a Methodist Church. The building faced west with two doors - the women and girls used the south door, and the men and boys used the north door. In going from one side of the church to the other, one could pass between the pulpit and the middle row of seats near the east end.

The lighting system consisted of brackets with kerosene lamps placed on one casing of each window about head height and a stand kerosene lamp on each of two pedestals, which stood against the wall at the two corners of the pulpit platform. Later a hanging kerosene lamp was suspended from the ceiling a little above and in front of the pulpit.

Two box stoves were used for heating during cold weather. Each stove was connected to the one chimney near the center of the building. The stove pipe from each side entered a large drum which contained an outlet into the chimney. The pipes and drum were held in place with wire fastened into the ceiling.

The bell in the belfrey at the west end could be heard for miles in all directions. When there was a death in the community, someone would toll the bell, usually tapping the bell as many times as the person was years old. Means of communication was meager and at the time of the funeral the bell was again tolled.

From the time the church was dedicated (1860) until the United Brethren Church was built in 1901, the two congregations used the church jointly.

In September of 1898, a warranty deed was made for a… (Page 63)

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