72 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



credit — one year without interest. And from this time 

 the town of Crown Point dates its existance. I have be- 

 fore stated that the census of the County taken this year 

 showed our population to be 1468 — The great wheat 

 blight occurred this summer of 1840 — The whole crop 

 was entirely lost. 



The first house built in town after it had a name, was 

 that where Capt. Smith now lives. I built it for Elder 

 Norman Warriner in the spring of 1841, and he was the 

 first minister of the gospel settled here, and I believe in 

 the county. He was ordained at Cedar Lake, pastor of 

 the Baptist church. And I look upon it as a great loss to 

 the county, I might say disgrace; that for want of sup- 

 port he had to leave it. Rev. Mr. Brown, pastor of the 

 Presbyterian Church at Valparaiso or Mr. Warriner 

 preached here this summer, nearly every Sabbath. 



Major C. Farwell built the same year — he was the first 

 blacksmith here, and one of the first in the county — his 

 father having settled on West Creek in 1836. Old Mrs. 

 Farwell was undoubtedly the first white woman ever 

 upon the ground where this town is located, for in 1833 

 her husband & family were endeavoring to follow the old 

 Sac trail from La Porte to Hickory Creek, 111. where a 

 settlement was forming, and got astray, and spent the 

 4th of July, 1833 upon this ground, while a messinger 

 went back for a pilot to extricate them from their lost 

 situation. Think of that only 14 years ago. 



In June 1841, three individuals made the first effort to 

 form a temperance society here — Your records will show 

 that it was carried into efl:'ect, & the celebration of fourth 

 of July with cold water and a picnic dinner, was the hap- 

 piest one to some 300 men, women and children that I 

 ever saw. 



The first kiln of brick about here was burnt this season 

 by Mr. Mason & Dr. Farrington. Heretofore chimneys 

 were all built of sticks and clay, and wells had to be 

 walled with wood. A kiln had been burnt the year before 

 at Cedar Lake, and a small one previous to that by Ben 



