History Center news

Saturday May 19, 2012

Tuesday, 31 January 2012 7:02

by Chuck Jones and Chuck Mathieu

In the late 1700’s and very early 1800’s this area was the hunting grounds of the Miami Indians and their Chief was Little Turtle. He was so well-known that he had audiences with our first three Presidents: Washington, Adams and Jefferson. Gilbert Stuart, a well- known artist of the time painted Little Turtle’s picture but it was destroyed in 1814 when the British set fire to the White House. Dolly Madison, President Madison’s wife, was able to save the picture Stuart painted of President Washington before the fire consumed the White House. The painting by Stuart is the only known image of the great chief.

The History Center has a collection of Indian artifacts found by Leonard Rapp who lived in the Blue Lake area and Wilbur Green who lived in the Carroll and Johnson Road areas.

Come visit the Churubusco History Center any Monday or Thursday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. It is located at 108 W. Washington Street.