Clark County, Ohio

History and Genealogy



Indian Villages


From 20th Century History of Springfield and Clark County, Ohio by Hon. William A. Rockel
Chicago: Biographical Publishing Co., 1908


The Indians in selecting a site for villages, usually gave preference to fertile lands bordering upon streams of water. The location of only two Indian villages is known to have been in Clark County. In Beer's history it is said that on a farm of the Smiths perhaps one-half of a mile west of the village of New Carlisle there stood the village of Chinchima. This village was located on Honey Creek. It might have been a Miami village, as the Miamis seem to have been in occupancy of the lands along the Miami River. The other village in Clark County was that of Piqua which was the scene of the historic battle of General Clark, which will be subsequently narrated herein. The location of this village is well described in the history given of that battle. The result of the battle was that the Indians practically abandoned the territory now comprised in this county. Afterwards they established another village which they likewise called Piqua, and this was at the place where the city of Piqua in Miami County is now located. They also had another town of the same name within the boundary of what is now Pickaway County. The fact that the Indians gave these same names to villages in different localities has caused considerable confusion in reading Indian history, it sometimes being hard to distinguish which one of the different places is meant. There were quite a number of villages leading north on Mad River; about two and a half miles south of West Liberty was Wapakoneta, next was the town of Mac-a-cheek, then three miles northwest from Mac-a-cheek, on the west side of the river, was Pigeon Town; Wapatomica near Zanesfield was next. Blue Jacket was where Bellefontaine now is. Three miles above was Buckingahelas, and nine miles Solomon's Town.

They also had a town or village three miles north of Xenia, which was called Chillicothe, and another town of the same name where the city of Chillicothe is now located in Ross County. Historians have distinguished these two by calling the one near Xenia "Old Chillicothe." This latter place was destroyed by an expedition from Kentucky, a year previous to the battle of Piqua. As the battle of Piqua is the first and only battle htat has ever occurred so far as we know upon Clark County ground a description of the same cannot be otherwise than interesting.

During the Shawnee Centennial of 1880 the Hon. Thomas F. McGrew prepared a paper on teh subject, and from the fact that he was not only along resident of this place, but was also learned and cautious in a matter of this kind, I think it may be considered the most reliable that can be found anywhere and I insert it herewith.







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