Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes, Indiana | ||
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FIPS code 18-79208[2] | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0445300[3] | |
Website | www |
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States.[4] It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. Founded in 1732 by French fur traders, notably François-Marie Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes, for whom the Fort was named, Vincennes is the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in Indiana and one of the oldest settlements west of the Appalachians. The population was 16,759 at the 2020 census.[5]
History
The vicinity of Vincennes was inhabited for thousands of years by different cultures of
The first European settlers were French, when Vincennes was founded as part of the French colony of Illinois Country, New France. Later on, it would be transferred to the colony of Louisiana. Several years later, France lost the French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years' War), and as result ceded territory east of the Mississippi River, including Vincennes, to the victorious British.
Once the area was under
New France
The first trading post on the
The oldest European town in Indiana, Vincennes was officially established in 1732 as a second
In 1736, during the French war with the Chickasaw nation, Vincennes was captured and burned at the stake near the present-day town of Fulton, Mississippi.[13] His settlement on the Wabash was renamed Poste Vincennes in his honor.
Louisiana Governor
As the French colonists pushed north from Louisiana and south from Canada, however, the American colonists to the east continued to push west. In addition, British traders lured away many of Indians who had traded with the Canadiens. This competition escalated in the Ohio Country until 1754 and the eruption of the French and Indian War (the North American theater of the Seven Years' War between Britain and France.)[citation needed]
British America
On February 10, 1763, when
Vincennes was far from centers of British power. In 1770 and 1772, Thomas Gage, the commander in chief of Britain's North American forces, received warnings that the residents of Vincennes were agitating against the Crown, and were inciting native tribes along the river trade routes to attack British traders. The Colonial Secretary, the Earl of Hillsborough, ordered the residents to be removed from Vincennes in response. Gage demurred while the residents responded to the charges against them, claiming to be "peaceful settlers, cultivating the land which His Most Christian Majesty [meaning the King of France] granted us." The issue was resolved by Hillsborough's successor, Lord Dartmouth, who insisted to Gage that the residents were not lawless vagabonds, but British subjects whose rights were protected by the Crown. Gage took no action against the residents of Vincennes.[14] In 1778, residents at Poste Vincennes received word of the French alliance with the American Second Continental Congress from Father Pierre Gibault and Dr. Jean Laffont. They mobilized in support of the American revolutionaries, as did the local Piankeshaw, led by Chief Young Tobacco.[citation needed]
Revolutionary War
Lieutenant Colonel
The
Post-Revolution turmoil
In response, Virginia Governor Patrick Henry authorized George Rogers Clark to raise the Kentucky militia and mount an expedition against the warring tribes. General Clark gathered a force of 1,000 militia and departed
Colonel Harmar left 100 regulars under Major
The Vincennes Tract
The earliest land claims by inhabitants of Vincennes were based on a sale by the Indians to the French in 1742 of a tract of land containing 1.6 million acres, known as the Vincennes Tract. It was a rectangular block lying at right angles to the course of the Wabash River at Vincennes. The tract was ceded by France to Britain by treaty in 1763 after the French and Indian War. On October 18, 1775, an agent for the Wabash Company purchased two tracts of land along the Wabash River from the Piankeshaw tribe called the 'Plankashaw Deed'. In these deeds, the Vincennes Tract was excepted, and it was the first recognition of the tract in period documents. Eventually, the United States Supreme Court invalidated the deeds.
The claims based on French sovereignty or individual deeds issued under it were eventually rejected by congress, because if there were such grants, they passed to the United States by the Treaty of Paris 1783.
By right of conquest, George Rogers Clark secured this land for the United States in 1779 and the Land Act of 1796 honored its boundaries.
The Vincennes Donation Lands were embodied in An Act for granting lands to the Inhabitants and settlers at Vincennes and the Illinois country, in the territory northwest of the Ohio, and for confirming them in their possessions (1791).
Growth of the town
By 1798, the population had reached 2,500. Vincennes was no longer considered a trading outpost, but a thriving city.[21]
Elihu Stout published the first newspaper in the Indiana Territory in 1804 at Vincennes. The Indiana Gazette debuted on July 31, 1804. Fire destroyed the printing presses in 1806, but Stout revived the newspaper as the Western Sun in 1807.[22][23]
Vincennes served as the first capital of Indiana Territory until it was moved to Corydon on May 1, 1813.
In 1826, "A party of Shawnee Indians ... in men, women, and children, to 500, passed through this place [Vincennes] ... from their reservation at Wapaghkonetta, moving to the Mississippi. The celebrated Indian prophet, and a son of the great Tecumseh, were in the company."[24]
Slavery
Those who were pro-slavery tried to perform an end run around the Indiana constitution by putting in place indentured servitude under which slaves, in theory, appeared to be able earn their freedom. However, the terms often placed on indentured servants were so excessive, many never actually never were able to achieve freedom.
—Rebecca R. Bibbs, It took two Supreme Court cases to end slavery in Indiana[25]
Slavery was practiced in the 16th century, when the present-day state of Indiana was part of New France (1534–1763), by the French and Native Americans. When the area became part of the Northwest Territory, slavery was banned by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, but slavery and indentured servitude continued. [26][27] Slaveholders created a "loophole", that the provision did not apply to African Americans who were already enslaved in the state.[28] In 1816, the Constitution of Indiana made forced labor illegal, stating that "there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in this state."[26]
Polly Strong, an enslaved woman of Vincennes, was the plaintiff in a case that argued that she should be free. After losing in the Harrison County Circuit Court, she won the case at the Indiana Supreme Court on July 22, 1820, and she was freed.[27] In the case of Clark's attorney appealed the decision with the Indiana Supreme Court in the case of Mary Clark v. G.W. Johnston was a former slave who was made an indentured servant and lived in Vincennes. She won her freedom on November 6, 1821, when the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that servitude violated the state's 1816 Constitution.[29] This was a landmark contract law case for indentured servants and foretold the end of forced labor in Indiana.[30]
Time zone controversy
On November 4, 2007, Knox County joined
Unofficial city flag
This flag for the city of Vincennes, Indiana, albeit unofficial, is used around the city. It features the signature V, four fleurs-de-lis, symbolizing the city's French heritage, its existence in four centuries: 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st, since the city's establishment in 1732. Similar in appearance to the flag of Indianapolis, Vincennes' flag is more squared in appearance and has a diamond center rather than a circle. It represents the layout of Vincennes. White stripes radiating from the diamond represent Vincennes' part in the settlement of the frontier, as it was at the crossroads of several great pioneer trails.
Geography
Vincennes is located on the banks of the Wabash River at the western edge of Knox County; this is also the western edge of the state of Indiana, and Illinois is across the river to the west. The city lies about 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Indianapolis. U.S. Route 41 passes through the city from north to south, and U.S. Route 50 passes just to the north of the city from east to west.
According to the 2010 census, Vincennes has a total area of 7.478 square miles (19.37 km2), of which 7.41 square miles (19.19 km2) (or 99.09%) is land and 0.068 square miles (0.18 km2) (or 0.91%) is water.[31]
Climate
Vincennes has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and cool winters with heavy rainfall at times throughout much of the year. There are an average of 53.1 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 101.5 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower.[32] Average January temperatures are a high of 36.3 °F (2.4 °C) and a low of 18.3 °F (−7.6 °C). Average July temperatures are a high of 87.7 °F (30.9 °C) and a low of 64.8 °F (18.2 °C). The record high temperature was 104 °F (40 °C) on June 26, 1988. The record low temperature was −26 °F (−32 °C) on January 19, 1994.
Average annual precipitation is 44.43 inches (112.9 cm). Measurable precipitation occurs on an average of 105.6 days each year. The wettest year was 1990 with 60.08 inches (152.6 cm) and the dryest year was 1988 with 36.02 inches (91.5 cm). The most precipitation in one month was 11.18 inches (28.4 cm) in November 1985. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 5.07 inches (12.9 cm).
Average annual snowfall is 5.8 inches (15 cm). Measurable snowfall occurs on only 2.6 days. The snowiest season was 1989–90 when 16.4 inches (42 cm) fell. The most snow in one month was 8.5 inches (22 cm) in December 1990. The most snow in 24 hours was 8.0 inches (20 cm) on March 24, 1990.[33]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 2,070 | — | |
1860 | 3,960 | 91.3% | |
1870 | 5,440 | 37.4% | |
1880 | 7,680 | 41.2% | |
1890 | 8,853 | 15.3% | |
1900 | 10,249 | 15.8% | |
1910 | 14,895 | 45.3% | |
1920 | 17,160 | 15.2% | |
1930 | 17,564 | 2.4% | |
1940 | 18,228 | 3.8% | |
1950 | 18,831 | 3.3% | |
1960 | 18,046 | −4.2% | |
1970 | 19,867 | 10.1% | |
1980 | 20,857 | 5.0% | |
1990 | 19,859 | −4.8% | |
2000 | 18,701 | −5.8% | |
2010 | 18,423 | −1.5% | |
2020 | 16,759 | −9.0% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[34] |
2010 census
As of the
There were 7,407 households, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.5% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.83.
The median age in the city was 33 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 20.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 15% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.
2000 census
As of the
There were 7,614 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,289, and the median income for a family was $35,424. Males had a median income of $27,029 versus $20,254 for females. The
Education
Public schools
Elementary Schools
- South Knox Elementary School
- Tecumseh – Harrison Elementary
- Franklin Elementary
- Vigo Elementary
- Riley Elementary
- Washington Elementary (Decommissioned in May 2010)
Middle School
- South Knox Middle-Highschool
- Clark Middle School
High School
- South Knox Middle-Highschool
- Lincoln High School
Parochial schools
Elementary school
- Flaget Elementary (K–5)
High school
- Vincennes Rivet High School(6–12)
Other private schools
- Southwestern Indiana Youth Village (4–12)
Higher education
- Vincennes University was established in 1801 as Jefferson Academy. It is the oldest college of higher learning in Indiana.
- Purdue Polytechnic Institutemaintains a satellite campus in Vincennes in a partnership with Vincennes University.
Government
The city government consists of a seven-member city council. Five of whom are elected from districts the other two are elected at large. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote.
Media
Television
- PBS (22) – 22.1 / 22.2 / 22.3 – Vincennes University
Radio
- 91.1 FM WVUB "Blazer 91-1" – Vincennes University
- 92.1 FM WZDM "Wisdom 92-1" – The Original Company
- 96.7 FM WFML –
- 1450 AM WAOV – The Original Company
Newspaper
Legacy
The Revolutionary War battle at Vincennes was featured in the 1901 novel Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson.[36] Four ships have also been named USS Vincennes in honor of this battle; as well as for the city. The first Vincennes was an 18-gun sloop-of-war commissioned in 1826 and sold in 1867. The second Vincennes was a New Orleans class heavy cruiser commissioned in 1937 and lost in the Battle of Savo Island in 1942. The third Vincennes was a Cleveland class light cruiser commissioned in 1944 and decommissioned in 1946. The fourth and most recent Vincennes was a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser commissioned in 1985 which was decommissioned and scrapped in 2005.
Notable people
- Washington Senators
- Clint Barmes (b. 1979), baseball player, San Diego Padres
- football player, center and guard Houston Oilers
- U.S. Congressman for Pennsylvania's 7th congressional districtfrom 1947 to 1949
- Albert K. Dawson (1885–1967), photographer, film correspondent in World War I
- James C. Denny (1829-1887), Indiana Attorney General (1872-1874)
- Henry Dodge (1782–1867), U.S. Senator from Wisconsin
- CEO of UPS
- James Freeman Gilbert, geophysicist
- Bruce Bouillet, guitarist for Racer X
- David Goodnow, television news broadcaster
- 9th President of the United States
- Mitch Henderson, basketball head coach, Princeton
- Charles T. Hinde, businessman and riverboat captain; briefly lived in Vincennes
- Jane Jarvis, (1915-2010), organist for the New York Mets and jazz musician
- Buck Jones (1891–1942), actor, silent and 1930s film star
- John Rice Jones, politician and jurist
- Stanislaus P. La Lumiere, president of Marquette University
- Julian Morgenstern (1881–1976), rabbi, professor, and president of Hebrew Union College
- Alvy Moore (1921–1997), actor
- football player, quarterback Purdue University, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants
- William Edward Phipps, film and television actor, born in Vincennes
- Ollie Pickering (1870–1952), first batter in MLB American League history; lived and died in Vincennes
- Red Skelton (1913–1997), comedian and film actor, star of The Red Skelton Show
- Richard L. Stevens, brigadier general, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- football player, punter for Indiana Universityand eight NFL teams
- Sarah Knox Taylor (1814–1835), daughter of Zachary Taylor and first wife of Jefferson Davis
- United States Senatorfrom Indiana
- Alice Terry (1899–1987), actress and director, silent films; wife of director Rex Ingram
- Samuel Williams (1851–1913), judge and politician
- Benjamin Willoughby (1855-1940), Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court
Local attractions
- George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, the memorial and park built for the war hero George Rogers Clark.
- St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and Library, the oldest Catholic church in the state of Indiana and Indiana's oldest library.
- Grand Rapids Dam was once a dam on the Wabash River near present-day Vincennes; its remains are still visible.
- Grouseland, the mansion home of William Henry Harrison, 9th United States President.
- Fort Knox II: Operated by the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites Corp, Fort Knox was the jumping off point for the Tippecanoe Campaign in 1811. Outline of the fort is marked for self-guided tours.
- Fort Sackville, one of the forts of Vincennes.
- The U.S. Navy has named four shipsin honor of Vincennes.
- The Servant of God, Bishop Diocese of Vincennes.
- The Indiana Territorial Capitol. Is the primary site owned by the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites Corp in Vincennes. The building was once the center of government for the Indiana Territory from 1800 to 1813.
- The Indiana Military Museum (indianamilitarymuseum.org)
- Pantheon Theatre
- The Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy on the campus of Vincennes University contains memorabilia of radio, TV, and movie star Red Skelton, who was born in Vincennes. As of 2017, his birth home still exists, but is in private hands.
- In addition to the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and Library, Grouseland, Fort Knox II, and Indiana Territorial Capitol, Gregg Park, Hack and Simon Office Building, Kimmell Park, Old State Bank, Pyramid Mound, Vincennes Fortnightly Club, and the Vincennes Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[37][38]
Notes
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Archived from the original on 2012-02-12. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Vincennes city, Indiana - Census Bureau Profile". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Jones, James R. III; Amy L. Johnson (2012). "Early Peoples of Indiana" (PDF). IN.gov. Indianapolis: Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- ^ Stafford, C. Russell. "The Geomorphology of Sugar Loaf Mound: Prehistoric Cemeteries and the Formation of Loess Cones in the Lower Wabash Valley," Geoarchaeology: An International Journal 13.7 (1998): 649–672.
- ^ Lasselle, Charles B (March 1906). "The Old Indian Traders of Indiana". The Indiana Magazine of History. II (1). Indianapolis: George S. Cottman: 3. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
- ^ Derleth, p. 4.
- ^ Derleth, p. 8.
- ^ Derleth, p. 9.
- ISBN 978-0-252-06924-6. Archivedfrom the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ Roy, Pierre-Georges (1923). "Sieur de Vincennes Identified". Indiana Historical Society Publications. Vol. VII. Indianapolis: C. E. Pauley and Company. pp. 17–18. Archived from the original on 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
- ^ Barnhart, p. 172–173.
- ^ Allison, p. 57.
- ^ Allison, p. 58.
- ^ Allison, p. 58: One resident of Vincennes was heard to pray "Lord, please send the Kentuckians home and bring back the Indians."
- ^ Allison, p. 61.
- ^ Allison, p. 62.
- ^ Allison, p. 68.
- ^ Allison, p. 87.
- ^ "Indiana Historic Newspaper Digitization Project Blog". Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2014-07-31.
- ^ John W. Miller, Indiana Newspaper Bibliography (Indiana Historical Society, 1982), 210–13.
- ^ "Shawnee Indians – Wapakoneta Ohio – Vincennes Indiana". Boston Reporter and Telegraph. 1826-12-15. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
- ^ Bibbs, Rebecca R. (February 2, 2020). "Hidden History: It took two Supreme Court cases to end slavery in Indiana". The Herald. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
- ^ a b Keierleber, Mark (February 16, 2013). "Woman's battle helped end slavery in Indiana". The Herald-Tribune.
- ^ a b "Mary Bateman Clark helped end slavery, indentured servitude in Indiana". Indianapolis Recorder. August 9, 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ^ Johnson, Taylor (2021-02-09). "Polly Strong & Mary Clark remembered as 'pioneers in this ongoing struggle for freedom'". My Wabash Valley, WTWO-TV, Nexstar Media. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ^ Williams, Sandra Boyd (1997). "The Indiana Supreme Court and the Struggle Against Slavery". Indiana Law Review. Symposium: The History of Indiana Courts: People, Legacy and Defining Moments. 30 (1): 307–310.
- ^ "Mary Bateman Clark Project". Indiana Bicentennial Commission, Indiana state government. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
- ^ "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
- ^ "VINCENNES, INDIANA Travel Weather". Archived from the original on 2013-07-19.
- ^ "Temperature Summary - 129113 VINCENNES 5 NE, IN". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
- ^ Alice of Old Vincennes
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 9/16/13 through 9/30/13. National Park Service. 2013-10-18. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
See also
- Indiana Territory
- Forts of Vincennes, Indiana
- Grand Rapids Dam
- Grand Rapids Hotel
- PiankashawIndians
- USS Vincennes, 4 ships
References
- Allison, Harold (1986). The Tragic Saga of the Indiana Indians. Turner Publishing Company, Paducah. ISBN 0-938021-07-9.
- Barnhart, John D.; Riker, Dorothy L. (1971). Indiana to 1816. The Colonial Period. Indiana Historical Society. ISBN 0-87195-109-6.
- Derleth, August (1968). Vincennes: Portal to the West. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: LCCN 68020537.
- Vincennes. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
- Nolan, John Matthew (2011). 2,543 Days: A History of the Hotel at Grand Rapids Dam on the Wabash River. J.M. Nolan. ISBN 978-1-257-04152-7.