MARYSVILLE, INDIANA
History published in 1882. We received a copy from Leone Bussey Righthouse.

The little village of perhaps one hundred inhabitants is situated on the Ohio and Mississippi railroad, (later called Baltimore & Ohio railroad) three miles from Otisco. It was laid off for Patrick H. Jewett by W. W. Trevis, civil engineer, in 1871. It is on both sides of the railroad and has forty lots. The village is located on the south side of tract number 248, and about midway from the north and south line. Marysville was named after Miss Mary Kimberlin, now wife of A. Q. Abbott of Oregon Township. During the ten years which have elapsed since the village was regularly platted very little has been done in the way of improvement. There is nothing to make the place very enterprising; nothing to stimulate trade, except the produce which is sold and received and the shipping point it furnished for stock. A cooper-shop employs a half dozen hands, who turn out cement barrels and kegs in large numbers. The railroad company has never erected a station. A platform answers the purpose of telegraph office, ticket office and freight and passenger depot.

The post office is kept in a little room ten by twelve. It answers all the purpose of a more commodious building. Extension offices are not always in indication of business prosperity.

Marysville has no churches or Sunday Schools, but it has one other thing which is next to it, a good public school. The first school house was afforded a place to learn the rudiments of an education for the boys and girls of Marysville was built on John Park’s place in 1848, one mile due west of the village. Ambrose Fitzpatrick was the teacher. Many years ago the old house was torn down; a new log building was erected in 1852, 1 ¼ miles west of the old site. In 1863 it burned. The country school is now ¾ mile west of Marysville and is known as Parks District. It was built in 1872.

The Marysville public school has as many as one hundred scholars and is taught by two teachers.

The village stores supplies the people with tobacco, sugar, coffee and groceries and dry goods generally. In this section are many opossums. They are caught in large numbers and sold to storekeepers who in turn ship them to towns around the Falls. Such sights remind one unaccustomed to such scenes---skinned opossums hanging in bunches of half dozen at the side of a store---very forcibly of the South. Marysville will never amount to greatness. A village, to rise into prominence, must be surrounded by a soil of considerable fertility, and at least have some wealth in timber or other natural resources.

In the early settlement of this community and the town of Marysville, the surrounding land was owned by a few men who migrated here and with their families and they played a great part in driving the remaining tribe of Indians from this part of the country. Cabins were built and underbrush, the dense thickets were cleared and the numerous lakes were filled up so as to make the farmland productive.

Jacob Kimberlin settled on the farm east of town, known as the Robert Clapp farm in after years. Here he built a home and raised a large family. Wilford Fields who married his daughter Samantha built the first house in Marysville before the town was even thought of.

The town plot was later laid out with its streets numbered and its open alleys. A little log school house was built near the Fields home which is now the property of Roscoe Sweeney. After the B & O railroad was surveyed and under construction the superintendent of the work and two other men boarded half mile west of where the town was to be located. They finished laying the road and as yet the town had not been named. Mr. Kimberlin had a daughter and the only young lady in the community. Her name was Mary and it was suggested the town be named for her. She later married Aquillis Abbott.

However, Mr. Kimberlin had other daughters and the second home in town was built by Henry Smith who had married his daughter Nancy. The house is still standing although has been greatly repaired and after Smith owned it he sold it to Joseph L. Jones. Mrs. Jones died in 1925 and Mr. Jones sold it to Victor George. It is still a very nice little home as it has been well cared for.

The third house in town was built by Thomas J. Mount in 1871. It is now owned by Harry McCune and has been greatly remodeled. The fourth home was built by John Johnson, a son-in-law of Wilford Fields and is now owned by H. H. Harmon.

The first general store was built by Amen Enlow and Owen Jones who were in partnership and was the building so long known as the Robert Clapp store. They built a dwelling on the back in connection with the store and did business there for a number of years. They sold it to Siney Conner who remained in business for sometime, then sold it to J. L. Jones. He was not successful and Robert Clapp bought the big farm surrounding the store room and carried on business with the help of his son Robert until his death in 1918 or something near that time. After his death, it was let to J. I. Kahl and finally Mr. Kahl found another location. After Mr. Mahan bought the farm, the store was razed and a nice new home erected owned now by Robert Righthouse. (The house is yet owned by the Righthouse family in 2004.)

This about concludes the early history of the resident section of Marysville but later there was the home of John V. Clapp, the home now of Orie Clapp, a part of which was built in the 1870s. The first post office was in 1870.

In the way of business the first saw mill was owned by Levy Harmon located on what is known now as the D. T. Graves farm and the mill was on the west side of his farm parallel to the B & O railroad.

The little log schoolhouse was discontinued in the early part of 1870 and a frame building was built on what is known as the John Taflinger property. This building was small and the community enlarged it as it became necessary to have a bigger school. A lot was bought from Mr. Clapp and a grade school with two rooms was built in the early part of 1900, with David Watson the first trustee under this new building.

Sometime in the early part of 1900 Dr. Hearn located here as the first physician in the course of time he sold out to Dr. Deputy, then he sold to Dr. Farlow who kept it for a while then he sold to Dr. Smith. He built a new home and office and after a few years, he sold out to Dr. Cortner. Dr. Cortner died in 1947, since which we have had no doctor.

In the early days there was a blacksmith shop owned by George Smith. In 1901 there was a church erected. Mr. Robert Clapp gave the grown, all of the rough timber for the building, and his wife Mrs. Mildred Clapp, did all of the canvassing for funds. She boarded the carpenters who did the work and to her untiring efforts, the community should feel grateful.

In the 1900 era, another sawmill was put in operation, owned by a Mr. Jackson. However, it was later sold to a canning company. After operating a few seasons it was sold again to Frank Cook, who remained in business until his death. It is now a broiler plant.

In the early part of 1900 Mr. Bolly opened up a hardware store and later the IOOF built their hall where Mr. Bolly had kept hardware. He sold out to Frank Clegg who later sold to Charley Clegg and Mr. Enteman, undertakers. In 1912 they sold to Perry Bussey and he is still in business there. (2004, Mr. Bussey’s grandson, J. R. Righthouse owns the hardware business on highway 3. The original building still stands.)

In 1901 Mr. A. H. Humphrey came from Paris Crossing and built the general store now operated by Charley Gay. (2004 The building is no longer there. All that can be found is the sidewalk that led to the building.) Transportation at that time was all made by vehicles which could plow through the heavy mud roads. Mr. Humphrey operated the store in connection with two Huster routes delivering goods and also collecting country produce. He died in 1922. Since then, the store has been operated by D. T. Graves, Mrs. Campbell and J. I. Kahl.

In 2004, the Marysville Post Office is located on the east side of highway 3 in a brick building built specially for the postal service. The two room brick school is now a community building that is used frequently. The railroad was taken out in the 1980s.

Anyone having more information on Marysville or any of the other communities in Clark County, please contact me Jeannie Noe Carlisle pjnoe63@yahoo.com