Knight Towship, prior to 1840 and after the establishment of Vanderburgh County, formed a part of the extensive Township of Pigeon. It is now bounded on the north by Center Township and Warrick County, on the east by Warrick County, on the south by the Ohio River, and on the west by Pigeon Township. Along the River border the surface is low and subject to inundation. Here are found the rich alluvial lands of the River bottom. Along the old canal bed, or the present line of the L. E. & St. L. R. R. are rich lands, at one time swampy, but now, through modern system of drainage, considered as good as any lands in the County. In the greater part of the Township, aside from the localities named, the surface is gently undulating and the soil of a productive character. In early times the entire Township was.covered with dense forests, but these have disappeared. The north border of the Township is washed by Pigeon Creek, but no considerable streams traverse its interior.

          Early Settlers. - Most of the settlers here crossed over from Kentucky; indeed, it may be said that all of the earliest settlers in this Township came from that state, to which many of them had previously emigrated from Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and other states of the south. About the winter of 1806 ^Eneas McCallister, the progenitor of a large family of that name, made a settlement opposite the mouth of Green River. Though others may have preceded him, he was doubtless the first to settle in the Township which afterward became identified with the history of its growth and progress. He subsequently removed to what was known as the Knight settlement some four miles from Evansville in the direction of Newburgh. His sons were, Jesse, Archibald, and Joseph, all men of great worth and good standing. Jesse McCallister's was a favorite place for the early religious workers to congregate. The camp grounds were on his farm, and he himself was a devout worker. Joseph, the youngest, was a clever man and had an influence for good in his day, but the rougher traits of the pioneer were among his possessions. Between 1810 and 1812 a number of pioneers braved the dangers of life in the woods, and came to share the experiences of the McCallisters. Daniel Noble settled in the vicinity of Three Mile Island, and Daniel James, the uncle of Nathaniel and John James, still below him. Next came Samuel Lewis and settled on the place afterward so well-known as the homestead of Gen. Joseph Lane. These people claimed as their neighbors, John Sprinkle, William Briscoe, Solomon Vanoda and Julius Wiggins, though the cabins of these settlers stood as far away as the present site of Newburgh, the mouth of Cypress Creek and beyond. Among other early settlers along the River were: Henry James, David Aikin and John Garrett. Here also lived the Lane family, Joseph, Jesse, Simon and Floyd, and their parents. These settlers did not come until 1818, though for some years they had lived on the opposite bank of the River.

          This little settlement in Knight Township gave to Vanderburgh County, to the state and to the nation a man whose name adorns the brightest pages of history. Gen. Joseph Lane came with his father in 1818 and settled a short distance below the foot of Three Mile Island. In 1820 he married and became part owner of his father's land where his ten children were born and where his family resided until 1853. When but twenty- one years of age he made the race for the legislature and won, though pitted against such men as Gen. R. M. Evans and Judge William Foster. He was five times elected to a seat in the lower house of the general assembly and twice to the state senate. In shaping the legislation of the state he acted a conspicuous part, and by his vote and influence contributed largely to a satisfactory and honorable settlement of the financial complications which followed the downfall of the great internal improvement system of 1835. When war was declared against Mexico in 1846, he vacated his seat in the state senate, and enlisted to serve in the ranks under that gallant officer Capt. Walker. In rapid succession he rose to the rank of brigadier general, and acted a military career which was without spot or blemish. In 1848, after his return from the field of battle, he was appointed by the president governor of Oregon, and subsequently represented that state in the United States senate. At the advanced age of seventy-nine years he died April 19, 1881, at Roseburg, Ore.

          Another settlement was made about 1813, some four miles above Evansville on the Newburgh road. There lived Isaac Knight, Martin Miller, Samuel Kinion, John Fickas, Adam Fickas, Robert Gibson, Humphrey Barnett and the McCallisters. John Beach settled near what is now known as Howard or Asylum farm. Peter Linxweiler lived north of the Knight settlement and near Pigeon Creek; Ambrose Kelsey was between the settlement and the city. Isaac Knight received the honor of having his name perpetuated in the christening of the Township. He became a freeholder in the Township in 1815, and lived on the lands bought from the government until his death. His family was among the most respected in the Township. The other pioneers named as residing in this settlement were sturdy men, skillful hunters and good citizens. After the first settlements were made the growth and development of the Township was for many years very slow. North of the Knight farm, out toward Pigeon Creek, and especially through the lowlands, afterward traversed by the Wabash & Erie canal, there was not a stick amiss. Indeed, it was not until 1830, and even later, that the land in this locality began to be cleared up and settled upon. Nor were there any settlements whatever in very early times east of Isaac Knight's and west of the County line, except that now and then along the Newburgh road a patch was cut out in the forests and a cabin was raised. With the great increase of population that was ushered in about 1835, Knight Township received a very small proportion of the foreigners that came into the County. It, however, filled up vvith a good class of citizens. A considerable portion of the lands were entered by non-residents, the chief of these being the well-known Robert Barnes, who made the last entry of land made in the Township. This outline of the condition of the Township during its early existence is, of necessity, imperfect.

          Reminiscences. - Adam and Eve Fickas settled near Race Creek, in Henderson County, Ky., in the winter of 1806, and thence removed to the Kentucky bank of the Ohio River, opposite Three Mile Island, in 1808, where they remained until 1817, at which time they removed to a farm in Warrick County, in recent years known as the Simon Lane Farm, now owned by Frank Staser. Jacob B. Fickas was one of nine children born to these pioneers. From an account of his recollections of early times in Knight Township, the following brief extract is made: "I have vivid recollections of the earthquake which, in 1811, upset the town of New Madrid, Mo., and caused the earth to sink to such an extent that a lake appeared where before the town had stood. The shaking up reached even this part of the country; the shock was sensibly felt all along our river settlement. In consequence a religious furore seized upon the minds of the people and they thought of little else than attending religious worship. About this time James McGrady, who was the founder of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, appeared in this section and preached to the people. Phineas Ewing and Hiram A. Hunter followed McGrady, and under their inspiration the camp meeting system sprang into existence. A campground was opened on the farm of Jesse McCallister in 1815 or 1816. In about two years it was removed to the farm of Isaac Knight in the same neighborhood. The next season the Baptists had a camp meeting in the upper bayou settlement on the farm of Jesse Lane. This system of religious worship was kept up year after year for a perjod of thirty or forty years.

          Churches. - The Cumberland Presbyterians from the earliest times have been strong in Knight Township. But at the present time there is but one organized class of this denomination in the Township, that on the Newburgh road called Hebron. The church was first called Nebo, the name being changed after the erection of a house of worship. The church edifice is a small, neat, frame structure, built about 1858, mainly through the instrumentality of Rev. John T. Bates, then pastor of the church. The class had been organized about ten years prior to this time, probably by Rev. William Lynn. The early meetings were held at what was afterward known as the Terry school-house. Among the ministers to this charge, besides those named, have been:Revs. Ritchie,White, Bowden, Cleveland, Darby and Miller, the present pastor. Prominent among the early members were: Mrs. Julia Terry, John Hall, Sqiure Vann, John Fickas and Isaac Knight. The congregation is now in a prosperous condition, though its membership is numerically small.

          Christian Order. - Through that part of the Township called in early times the upper bayou settlement, or along the River near the Three Mile Island, there has grown up a strong society of those who worship according to the faith of the Christian Order. This sect is an offshoot from the Christian church as established by Alexander Campbell, and was founded by John McCrary, Joseph Wasson and John Boren. The Rev. George Grimm first came preaching in this neighborhood. He was succeeded by Rev. Tibbetts, and he in turn by Rev. John T. Phillips, who for several years has been the faithful pastor in charge. Preaching was first held in the district school-house, but in 1868 a neat frame church was erected. Mrs. Elizabeth Aikin is recognized by all as probably the most devoted and earnest supporter of this church. The congregation is very large, and the Sunday school is in a prosperous condition.

          Little Sisters of the Poor. - A branch of this order was established in Evansville in 1887, through the kindness and charity of Mr. John A. Reitz, the generous millionaire, and thoroughly practical Catholic. He donated seventeen acres of land on Lincoln avenue, in Knight Township, one half mile from the city limits, whereon was erected a splendid and spacious building, fitted with all modern improvements, to be the home for the aged poor in charge of the Sisters. The land and building are worth more than $50,000. The building is of brick, three-stories, 225x75 feet in dimensions, with two wings half the size of the main building. A statue of St. Joseph, the gift of Mrs. John A. Reitz, ornaments the front of the structure. Sister Albertine is the Superior, and has eight assistants. At present there are forty-seven inmates (male and female), of all nationalities, ranging from sixty to ninety years of age. No needy person who conforms to the mild rules of the institution is excluded, regardless of color, condition, or religious belief.

          Hospital for the Insane. - This state institution is located in Knight Township, on what was formerly known as the Howard farm, on the Newburgh road, about three miles from the city of Evansville. The County records show that in 1882, Mr. Samuel Barker, then County commissioner, presented resolutions to the board of commissioners setting forth the needs of additional accommodations for the insane in the state of Indiana. Through the efforts of Hon. William Rahm, jr., state senator, Hons. John F. Pruitt and J. W. Spain, representatives, the County and city officers and a committee of citizens composed of Capt. H. C. Gooding, Hon. J. A. Lemcke, Dr. M. Muhl-hausen, and Mr. Thomas P. Byrnes, the state legislature was induced to visit Evansville with a view of selecting a site for such an asylum as the needs of the state demanded. The legislature was handsomely entertained by the citizens of the city, and the advantages of the location were so clearly presented that favorable action was secured. A handsome edifice, built of brick, at a cost of about $250,000, and capable of accommodating 1,000 inmates, was erected in 1886, by P. H. McCormick, of Columbus, Ind., contractor, under the supervision of the hospital commissioners, and after a design prepared by E. H. Ketcham, of Indianapolis, Ind., architect. The asylum farm cost $20,000.

          Towns. - On April 1, 1837, William Walker laid out a town in the southeast quarter of section 13, Township 6 south, range 10 west, and called it Smyrna. The Wabash & Erie Canal was expected to lift the place to greatness, but with the decay of that waterway, Smyrna was abandoned. At present there are no towns of importance in the Township. Smythe's station on the L., E. & St. L. railroad is the site of Mr. Henry Smythe's extensive tile factory, which has been in successful operation for several years.

Source:
History of Vanderburgh County, Indiana
Brant & Fuller, c.1889
Pages 578 - 581