OLDEST - Town in Gibson County
N 38° 24.836 W 087° 35.167
16S E 448830 N 4251905
Patoka, IN is the oldest town in Gibson county. It began in 1789, before Gibson county had even formed.
Waymark Code: WM9EZY
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 08/11/2010
Views: 9
The history of the oldest town in Gibson county stared when John Severns settled his family on the southern bank of the Patoka River in Indiana. He settled across from an unfriendly Indian tribe but managed to get along with them since he knew their language, having been a captive of Indians in his youth. Severns built a ferry across the river and agreed to let the Indians use the ferry. By 1800, six families had settled in what they then called Smith, later Smithville, and then finally, Patoka. Patoka is an Indian name meaning "log on the bottom." In 1813 the Black Plague broke out, killing many of Patoka's residents. The survivors kept building the town and prospered by becoming a stage coach stop, then a steam boat landing, and later still, a railroad terminus. The lumber business helped Patoka grow during the 1800-1850s. The town of Patoka was finally incorporated in 1889.
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