Otwell, Indiana
| Otwell | |
|---|---|
| census-designated place | |
  Otwell | |
| Coordinates: 38°27′17″N 87°05′32″W / 38.45472°N 87.09222°WCoordinates: 38°27′17″N 87°05′32″W / 38.45472°N 87.09222°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Pike |
| Township | Jefferson |
| Founded by | In 1852, Dr. Perry Brown founded the town. |
| Named for | Robert Otwell Brown |
| Elevation[1] | 499 ft (152 m) |
| ZIP code | 47564 |
| FIPS code | 18-57384[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 440760 |
Otwell is an unincorporated census-designated place in Jefferson Township, Pike County, Indiana, United States.
Geography
Otwell is located at 38°27′17″N 87°05′32″W / 38.45472°N 87.09222°W. Otwell sits along Indiana State Road 257 and is approximately 1 mile from Indiana State Road 56. Otwell is an unincorporated community, but has a post office.
Postal
Its zip code is 47564.
Founding
In 1852, Dr. Perry Brown founded the town and named it Pierceville, supposedly in honor of President Franklin Pierce who was elected President of the United States that year. Prior to the establishment of the town of Pierceville, there had been a village known as White Oak Grove at the site. The earliest settlers are believed to have come to the area in the early 1800s.
The small town continued to be called Pierceville for 12 years until the establishment of a U.S. Post Office in the town in 1864. It was discovered there was already a town named Pierceville in Dearborn County. After some deliberation on what to rename the town, it was decided to rename it in honor of Dr. Brown's son, Robert Otwell Brown. A petition was organized in support of it being renamed Otwell and presented to the "March term of court 1864".[3]
History
The first flour and grist mill in Otwell was built in 1855. According to Ruth Miley McClellan's book "Pike County History", John Scraper later bought the original flour mill and constructed a three-story building on the banks of Flat Creek to house the mill. After Scraper's death, the mill was purchased by Ned Corn and became known as Corn's Mill. The mill was a local gathering place and a site of political debates over the years.
Thirty years after the construction of the original flour mill, Robert Craig II built a flour mill which serviced many of the farmers in the Jefferson Township area. Craig was also instrumental in forming the first bank in Otwell:. The Otwell State Bank. He was president of the Bank, which was located ,on Washington St., for 25 years.[4]
The local teams were known as the "Otwell Millers" in recognition of the mill.
References
- ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ History of Pike and Dubois counties, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc. : together with an extended history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the state of Indiana (1885). Goodspeed Bros. p. 776.
- ↑ McClellan, Ruth Miley (1976). Pike County History: Bicentennial Edition 1776-1976. Unigraphic.
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