Facts & Legends
Daviess County History
The voices of future Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Richard Nixon. Pulsating thunder as a 400,000 lb. steam locomotive pounds its way west, freshly repaired from the Washington B&O roundhouse. Gunfire as a Civil War Union captain falls mortally wounded as his draft dodging quarry flees. Resounding cheers as thousands of Depression-weary Republicans assemble in a humid alfalfa field to prop up their sagging national party. The quiet creak of worn leather as an Amish farmer reins in his Belgium stallion, setting once again the turn of the plow. Tears of joy and cries of welcome when members of the 152nd return from Iraq.
All this and more can be found in the history of the county designated by the U.S. Department of Commerce as the median center??? of the U.S. population.
Named for Virginia-born Colonel John Hamilton Daviess (a distinguished Midwestern lawyer killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811), the County possesses a rich history, including not a few legends. Here's a sample:
Jesse James Following the Civil War, famed outlaw Jesse James visited Daviess County for a summer, and shot and carved an inscription "J. James 1882" in a rock south of Washington, the county seat (True-the rock subsequently moved around the county in private ownership and was once used as a bird-feeder).
Stonewall Jackson Several Washington residents have won appointments to attend West Point. While at the Army's Military Academy, one Washington cadet struck up a friendship with fellow cadet Thomas J. Jackson, later known as the famed Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. Jackson gave (other accounts say Jackson lost a bet) a set of spurs to his friend from Washington, which remain in the city to this day. (True-the spurs are today part of the Daviess County Museum).
Nuclear secret Washington residents helped build the first atomic bomb as part of the then-super secret "Manhattan Project." (True-[name] was honored for his work on the project by then-Secretary of War Henry Stimson).
Origin of the All-American truck? In the early 1900s, the three sons of Washington patriarch Ziba Graham plunged into the fledging automotive industry. The oldest, Joseph Graham, had previously hand built a "horseless carriage" as a teenager. The trio formed the Graham Brothers Truck Company in Evansville, Indiana, whose trucks were an "instant success" nationally. (True-The Dodge Corporation later bought out the Grahams in 1927 after the Graham operation had moved to Detroit. The brothers then began manufacturing the Graham-Paige luxury automobile and introduced several innovations, including four-speed transmissions today known as "four on the floor." Graham-Paige cars were built until the beginning of World War II, when production was halted. The Graham family home in Washington, known as "Mimi's House," is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings because of its unique Prairie architecture)
Nixon, "Checkers" and Daviess County The cocker spaniel whose name became synonymous with the national television speech delivered by then-Senator Richard M. Nixon had a special Washington, Indiana connection. (True-"Checkers" the dog was a gift to the Nixon family from a Washington expatriate whose parents still lived in the city.)
Robert Kennedy lost a son? Panic briefly ensued in downtown Washington on April 22, 1968, when one of U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy's sons was found to be missing during the Senator's presidential campaign visit. (True--Happily, it was found that the son had been befriended by another Washington youth, and the pair had wandered down to the nearby B&O rail line. Father and son were quickly reunited.)
Railroad Ghost at Blue Hole In 1913, a series of late winter storms produced severe and heavy flooding throughout Daviess County. The west fork of the White River spilled over its banks and flooded broad fields in the surrounding area, including the area under a train trestle at Blue Hole. As Engine 401 rolled on to the trestle about 11 p.m., the structure collapsed. Six men, including the engineer, disappeared into the raging waters with the engine, its tender and a flat car. Four drowned. Legend says the ghost of the engineer can be seen, especially on March 27 (the anniversary of the accident), waving for help. (True or false-depends on who one talks to)
Abraham Lincoln-Two-time visitor Lincoln stayed in Daviess County for a time in the early 1800s as his family migrated to Illinois and later returned as a political figure, speaking on Main Street in Washington to an open crowd of several hundred. (True-Lincoln's first visit as a young man was recorded as remarkable by several residents because of Lincoln's tall height and his "unusually large hands." Lincoln also corresponded for years with Washington residents whom he counted as friends after his visit here)
52,000 Republicans in a "cornfield"? Fed up with Roosevelt's "New Deal," thousands of Republicans attended a two-day August rally in 1938 to reunite the national party on an alfalfa field owned by future U.S. Senator Homer E. Capehart. Nearly deafened by non-stop oratory, the crowd feasted on more than 70,000 steamed clams, more than 5,000 whole chickens and three tons of fresh corn on the cob served up from four massive tented kitchens. (True-A wealthy innovator of technology for the music industry-Capehart is known as the "father of the jukebox"-the future senator spent a then-astonishing $40,000 to successfully attract national political leaders to the county-the rally is today known as the "Cornfield Conference" and was a turning point for national politics)
Daviess County-economic powerhouse? Still reeling from the canal debacle that nearly bankrupted the young state, residents of Daviess County learned following the Civil War that the Ohio and Mississippi railroad company was considering constructing a massive railroad yard and repair facility in Southern Indiana. Competition for the facility was fierce among neighboring towns. The construction would turn the tiny city of Washington into a Southern Indiana economic powerhouse. (True-There was one catch-the winning town for what would become one of the Baltimore & Ohio's largest facilities would have to raise a then-incredible $70,000 to help pay for the facility's location. Even though the city and the nation were in the middle of the late 1800s "Long Depression," the city fathers raised the money and the massive facility drove major economic prosperity for decades in the region. Mostly closed today (some of the original 1880s facilities still are in operation), the facility is known in national railroad circles as "The Shops" and would cost in excess of $1 billion to duplicate in 21st century dollars)
Nixon's The One Many argue that private citizen Richard M. Nixon technically launched his successful comeback campaign for the Presidency at Washington High School in the county seat. Indiana State Treasurer John K. Snyder, a Washington resident, arranged for Nixon's address in late 1967. The event, scheduled for February 10, was announced on January 10, 1968. Nixon formally announced for the Presidency on February 1. (True-Richard and Pat Nixon arrived in Washington on the afternoon of the 10th, staying for a few hours in what is today known as the Budget Inn on Hwy 57th before speaking to a full house at the High School gymnasium later that evening. Several Congressmen and many state officials also attended the event, which was decorated to resemble the famed Capehart Cornfield Conference 30 years earlier.)
All this and much more is available in Daviess County. For more information about the Daviess County Museum and its noted collection, call (800) 449-5262 or e-mail info@daviesscounty.net.
