History

  • The county commissioners met, and the other officers established offices and set the wheels of county business in motion. They divided the county in Troy, Tobin, Oil, Hurricane, Anderson, and Clark Townships. Hurricane was about the present township of Hammond and Huff of Spencer County, probably at first extending north as far as Dubois County; but a little later the northern part was created as Carter Township. Hurricane for a time seems to have been called Lamar Township—appears so in the Perry County records. A little later Union and Smith Townships were created. A township called Athens is referred to in the early records, and was in Tobin’s Bottom. – See Changes in Boundary
  • Old Smith Township comprised portions of the present Oil and Clark Townships.
  • In September, 1837, Deer Creek Township was created. It comprised parts of Tobin and Troy Townships. In May, 1840, the county was reorganized into Troy, Deer Creek, Anderson, Clark, Tobin, Union and Oil Townships. Deer Creek and Tobin, were constituted the first commissioner’s district; Union, Oil and Clark, the second, and Troy and Anderson, the third.  June, 1853, Deer Creek Township was abolished.
  • Athens Township coincided, almost or quite, with Congressional Township, 7 south, Range 8 west.
  • In June, 1847, upon the petition of sixty citizens, Leopold Township was created out of Union, Oil, Clark and Anderson.
  • The line between Troy and Anderson Townships was changed in September, 1848.
  • Perry County is divided into 7 Civil Townships as follows: Anderson, Clark, Leopold, Oil, Tobin, Troy and Union.
  • Perry County was organized November 1, 1814.
  • Perry County was the last county to be created before the Territory of Indiana applied to Congress for an enabling act.
  • The County Seat wasn’t always Tell City.
    • November 1814 the commissioners chose a site on the Ohio River for the new County Seat and gave it the classical name of Troy.
    • The County Seat was moved to Washington, which changed its name to Franklin.
    • Rome was first named Franklin, but when the first court session was held the court record say Washington, then they later again changed it to Rome.
    • September 1819, the County seat moved to Rome, which which was first settled in 1811 and by 1849 contained 170 houses of which only 20 were brick.
    • On December 7, 1859, the County seat moved to Cannelton where a new Courthouse had been built and donated as an inducement to move by an enterprising coal company that was interested in the booming  town.
    • The County Seat was moved to Tell City in the early 1990s with the construction of a new Courthouse.

  • It is not certainly known at this day who made the first permanent settlement in Perry County. The survey of the land by the Government was made in 1805, and the following year a few families arrived, and after that annually a few more came. It is well to treat the settlement by civil townships, which will now be done without regard to the order of time of settlement.

  • According to the Society of Indiana Pioneers, an individual was a pioneer of our county if they resided here on or before December 31, 1825.
  • Indiana automobile License Plates issued in Perry County start with the prefix 62 because it is the sixty-second county in alphabetical listing.

History, Genealogy, Early Settlers and Historical Points of Interest in Perry County, Indiana