Center Township

 

Center Township occupies a central position in the county and contains about 
sixty-two square miles. It is a very irregular shape, having in and out corners
almost without number. The principal stream draining it is Prairie Creek, 
flowing from the southeast to the northwest past Lebanon. In former years 
this little stream had its own way, especially when it got on a high. Of late 
years, however, at a great expense it has been confined to a channel. 
Thus improved it affords an outlet for countless ditches, drains, etc. The 
Indianapolis, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad passes through Center a 
distance of about ten miles, running in a northwest direction entering at 
section ten at the southeast and leaving it at section twenty-one at the 
northwest. The soil here is on an average with the other townships and 
has kept pace in improvements. We speak now of the township only. 
Under the head of "Sketch of Lebanon " will be found a more detailed 
account. It is difficult to speak of one without referring to the other, 
especially in regard to the early settlement, so closely are their histories 
allied. Necessarily this sketch of Center must be short, and under the 
head referred to above we will speak more in fill of what might seem 
proper here. It would be useless to repeat, as we have decided to put it 
in the "Sketch of Lebanon," the first settlement having been made there. 
The history of Center Township is not unlike the histories of the other 
townships. First, a few hardy pioneers settling in the woods, building 
their cabins, clearing their patches here and there, log-rollings, 
house-raisings, etc. Improvements came gradually. The little fields widened 
out, the cabin gave way to hewed log houses and then to frame and brick 
dwellings. Thus it has been here and in every township in our now grand 
county. First the little blazed paths, then the cut out roads, then the 
gravel roads in their own good time, and thousands of improvements 
and advancement have dawned upon us. A few have lived to see these 
changes and many have fallen by the way. It has cost toil and labor untold 
to bring about these improvements. The pioneers underwent privations 
and hardships that the present generation know nothing about. No citizen 
can view these changes without a feeling of pride and satisfaction. The 
contrasts in many respects are wonderful. Center Township has grown in 
population from a few souls in 1829 to now near forts thousand. The 
population in 1870 was 2,856; in 1880 it was 3,826. Number of voters in 
1886 was 1,573; number of school houses, 17; number of school children 
in 1885 was 1,097, not including Lebanon. The following have served as 
trustees: A. Robinson, A.C. Daily, Millroy Lane, J.A. Gardner, Thos. H. 
Martin, R.W. Matthews, and H. L. Bynum, elected April, 1886.

Early Life and Times of Boone County Indiana, published 1887.