| Shelby Township | |
|---|---|
| — Township — | |
| Location in Jefferson County | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Jefferson |
| Government | |
| • Type | Indiana township |
| Area | |
| • Total | 48.52 sq mi (125.67 km2) |
| • Land | 48.51 sq mi (125.64 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) 0.02% |
| Elevation | 823 ft (251 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,052 |
| • Density | 21.7/sq mi (8.4/km2) |
| GNIS feature ID | 0453844 |
Shelby Township is one of ten townships in Jefferson County, Indiana, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 1,052.[1]
Shelby Township was created from the northern part of Milton Township and the remnant of Pittsburgh Township on Feb. 12, 1823 by the Jefferson County commissioners. The action wiped out Pittsburgh Township. Shelby was named after Isaac Shelby, who commanded troops at the battle of King's Mountain during the Revolutionary War.
It is an overwhelming rural township in which Burley tobacco is a major cash crop. A store and a restaurant in Canaan, which is open part time, are the only retail businesses in the township. The elementary school in Canaan is the township's only educational facility.
Four churches operate within Shelby Township: Indian-Kentuck Baptist Church, founded in 1814, Jefferson Presbyterian Church, founded in 1818, and Mt. Pleasant Baptist, founded in 1897. The Canaan Mennonite Chapel was founded in 1975. It is located at 9430 N. Barbersville Road near Canaan. Two others have cemeteries that straddle the Switzerland County and Jefferson County boundaries: Brushy Fork Baptist Church, founded in 1818, and Caledonia Presbyterian Church, founded in 1828. The church buildings sit in Switzerland County. However, both congregations were founded in Jefferson County, and at different times, the buildings have been in this county.
Churches that no longer exist include St. Anthony's Catholic Church, founded in 1849, was folded into the Prince of Peace Parish in Madison in 1993. The church building was acquired by a Catholic organization that conducts masses and holds retreats there. The Center Baptist Church joined the Coffee Creek Baptist Association in 1829 and folded by 1832. It was replaced by the Center Grove Separate Baptist Church, a different denomination, whose building was erected about 1859 on Hicks Ridge. Center Grove Baptist became what was then called a Regular Baptist Church. It was renamed and joined the Madison Baptist Association on Dec. 29, 1894 as the Hicks Baptist Church. The church building burned in the 1970s and was not rebuilt.
The township has had the following post offices: Barbersville (Dec. 7, 1826-Nov. 19, 1838) and (June 27, 1848-May 31, 1906); Caledonia (Dec. 13, 1830-July 23, 1834) and (July 2, 1836-Nov. 29, 1838); Canaan (Nov. 29, 1838-Jan. 15, 1911)Canaan Rural Station Canaan (Feb 16, 1911-Aug 31, 1921); Canaan reopened Aug 20, 1921; China (Jan. 30, 1833-Nov. 29, 1838), (Feb., 3, 1879-May 2, 1881); and (Feb. 23, 1882-Feb. 28, 1902); Hicks (May 7, 1884-May 31, 1906); McGregor (Sept. 24, 1887-June 15, 1907); and (Wise May 27, 1897-Feb. 28, 1905). In addition, it has been served by post offices at Manville (Jefferson County); Jay, Moorefield and Pleasant), Switzerland County, and Buchanan's Station (Riley County).
The Canaan Post Office is the only one operating in the township. Much of the township is served by Madison rural delivery and parts by the Cross Plains post office. It is worth noting that Canaan itself is served by the Madison Post Office, while Canaan supports a rural route.
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The first land acquired by settlers was in 1809 on the northern border with Ripley County. Many early settlers were Scotch-Irish and were prominent in forming the Jefferson Presbyterian Church in 1818. Another early group was what was known as "Low Dutch", families primarily of Dutch origin who had lived in the New Amsterdam settlements in New York and New Jersey and who moved to Kentucky in the early 1780s. They were also involved in the formation of Jefferson Presbyterian, but joined the former Pleasant Presbyterian church in neighboring Switzerland County when it formed in 1829.
About 1817, families of Lowland Scots began arriving, and more continued to arrive through the early 1830s. Many were from towns such as Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and the Edinburgh area. They founded a predecessor to Caledonia Church in 1818, which lasted until 1825, and formed the bulk of that church's membership when it was organized. The Scottish settlement stretched in Pleasant and Craig Townships in Switzerland County on the east and Milton Township in Jefferson County to the South.
Shelby Township covers an area of 48.52 square miles (125.7 km2); of this, 0.01 square miles (0.026 km2) or 0.02 percent is water. The streams of Barbersville Creek, Black Branch, Bloody Run, Brushy Fork, Canaan Branch, Dry Fork, East Prong Indian-Kentuck, Hannibal Branch, Horton Branch, Little Brushy Fork, McCurry or McCrory's Branch, Miller Branch, Puncheon Camp Creek, Razor Fork, Salem Branch, Seals Fork, Shaw Branch, Spring Branch, Toddy's Branch, Vestal Branch, West Fork Indian-Kentuck, White Eye Branch, and Wilson's Fork, run through this township.
The township contains these cemeteries: Canaan, Copeland, Etherton, Fry, Indian Kentuck, Jefferson Presbyterian, Lee, Lemen, Mathis, Means, Mermoud, Mount Pleasant Baptist, Pullum (or Pulliam), Riker, Risk, Rogers, Short (Blackhawk), Skeen, Spencer, Thornton, Vestile (Evans Farm) and Welch. Two cemeteries span the county line between Shelby Township and Pleasant Township, Switzerland county—Brushy Fork Baptist and Caledonia Presbyterian.
Baker, J. David, The Postal History of Indiana, 1976, Philatelic Bibliophile, P.O. Box 213971, Louisville, Ky. 1976.
Gresham, John M. & Co., 1889. Biographical & Historical Souvenir for the Counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott and Washington.
John Paul Chapter DAR. Jefferson County Cemetery transcriptions, 1941
Polk, R.L. Co. Indiana State Gazetteer & Business Directory. 1890. Volume V. S.E. Circle and Meridian Streets, Indianapolis, Ind. Reprinted 1978-9 by The Bookmark, P.O. Box 74 Knightstown, Ind. 46148.
Scott, Robert W. The Indian-Kentuck in the Nineteenth Century, Windmill Publishing. 2002
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