HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                  169

town was Rodney Taylor, who preceded Robert Howe as much as twelve
or fifteen years, having located there at some time early in the forties.
The individuals and firms who have done merchandising at this place,
including those now engaged, may be enumerated in the following order:
Rodney Taylor, Robert Howe, Fox & Stark, Fisher & Haines, William
Morgan, John M. Clark, J. N. Crawford, N. A. Harris, L. S. Bartlett,
D. A. Hill, N. A. Harris, J. W. Eversole, William Mast.
    Howesville postoffice was established at the time of Robert Howe’s
doing business there, but at what time can not now be said. The succes-
sion in postmasters may be given substantially as follows: Robert Howe,
James Fox, Samuel Barcus, J. N. Crawford, B. V. Hill, Edward Bonham,
N. A. Harris, J. W. Eversole, N. A. Harris (present incumbent).
    The industries operated at this place have been few: A feed mill,
for a time, by D. A. Hill; a saw-mill, by William Rumple; a cooper shop,
by Robert Jordan, and a feed-mill now maintained by the Coal City
Milling Company.
    The Presbyterian church wascompleted in the year 1871 and dedi-
cated on the 26th day of November, by Rev. Henry Little, Synodical
Missionary of the State of Indiana, when the total indebtedness incurred
was liquidated by collections made. The society was organized five years
before, at the old Camp Island schoolhouse, with twelve adult members,
which had increased to thirty at the time of the dedication of the new
house. The brick schoolhouse was built in 1897, by Edward Bonham,
Trustee of Lewis township.
    Howesville is a station on the Monon Railroad, with a promising
outlook for the future in the development and history of the county.
Population 200.
                        PRAIRIE CITY.
    Prairie City, a town-plat and station on the Brazil branch of the
Evansville & Indianapolis Railroad, in Jackson township, six miles south
of Brazil, originally laid out a little distance north of the present site, on
the Upper Bloomington road, about half way between the old Birch
Creek crossing and Mt. Olivet, by Absalom B. Wheeler, in the year 1869,
and so named from its location on the border of what has long been
known as Wheeler’s Prairie, or Clay Prairie. But few of the lots platted
by Wheeler were ever sold and improved. The change in the public road
from the Zenor cemetery westward from its former course to the line
between the Wheeler and Gibbons farms had the effect to transplant the
hamlet, which is now on the Allen Gibbons addition. A store has been
maintained here ever since this change was made. The first merchant
was Sylvester Grable, with whom was associated Wilford Beatty, who
were succeeded by Wilson & McNutt, William J. Hooker, Charles Benell,
Edward Osborn, W. J. Redenbacher, E. L. Bolin, Ora Gibbons, John A.
Trout, John Redenbacher & Son.
    A postoffice was established here in 1888 and Sylvester Grable ap-
pointed postmaster, succeeded by Lewis McNutt, on whose retirement
Mary N. Trout was appointed, June 10, 1895, whose term of service
extended to the first of March, 1902, when the office was discontinued and
supplanted by rural route No. 2 from Brazil, later by route No. 4 from
Center Point. The only physician was Dr. Charles Benell, and the only
mechanics, Delaney Short and John Bobo, blacksmiths. However, Garner
Bobo had previously maintained a “smithy” at the old road crossing on
the original site. Prairie City was not without a saloon, which was run
one year by Thomas McCullough.