The Shelbyville News
Saturday February 28, 1948
Page 8
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YOUR TOWN — PRESCOTT and ST. VINCENT
By Hortense Montgomery
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When Addison township included what is now Shelby East and West Shelby,
Prescott was the only other town in the township besides Shelbyville. Now it is
the only town in the Shelby portion. It was laid out by S. L. Dorsey,
business man of Shelbyville, June 28, 1867, with a public square in the center.
It is located on the Big Four Railroad. For a time it prospered and was known as
a lively place, having several stores, a post office, a blacksmith and wagon
shop and an elevator, it was an important shipping port for cattle and hogs.
One historian says that it had no important pioneer history. There is no
industry there now; several years ago there was a petition circulated to restore
the elevator but it was concluded that the cost would be greater than any
advantage accruing therefrom.
In the days of the traveling medicine shows and all kinds of rallies, it
seemed to be a favorite place. There are now about ten houses in the village.
About Prescott there are a number of families and farms which are included in
the St. Vincent neighborhood which has for its center the St. Vincent Church, a
beautiful church located in East Road 29 or the old Michigan Road. Its grounds
include the church, the home of the priest and the sisters, a parochial school,
a community building and the burial grounds of the congregation. Now to this
community has been added a general store and filling station owned by Elmer
Cord which serves the folks in this village-like community.
Mrs. Mary Carnell, native of Maryland, is said to be the first Catholic
who settled in Shelby county; that was in 1824. In 1825 Mr. and Mrs. Leo
Worland of Scott County, Kentucky came to visit Mrs. Worland’s sister,
Mrs. Nancy Young and liked the place so much they decided to settle
permanently in 1826. Mr. and Mrs. Leo Worland were followed by his father, Thomas
Worland with his whole family consisting of twelve children besides Leo.
Thomas Worland came to be well known and justly so as the leading Catholic in
the county during his time. He is the great grandfather of Ira and Thomas
Worland now living in Shelbyville and Russell Worland
of the Thompson
Road.
During a visit of the Rev. George Elder to these folks who were in his
congregation in Kentucky the sacrifice of the mass was offered for the first
time in Shelby county; the service was held in the cabin of Thomas Worland and
the mantle in the room was used as an altar. Visiting Fathers, on their way to
other points, would stop off with this small congregation and hold service.
The
first resident priest was Rev. Vincent Baquelin who came in 1837. He was
a native of Clermont Ferrand, in France.
Father Baquelin soon realized the need of a church and at a meeting held
January 6, 1838 a subscription was taken and those subscribing were Thomas,
Leo, John W., Stephen D. and Sebastian Worland, John R.
and David K. Newton, Dennis Morgan, George, Thomas
and Walter Laws, John Coleman, Thomas Thompson and
Father Baquelin. A tract of two acres of land was donated by Thomas Worland.
The
church was built by Calville Pearce at a cost of $619, the men of the
congregation doing much of the work. The first mass in the little church was
celebrated in October of 1839. After nine years of serving the church the good
Father Baquelin much to the grief of his people was killed when thrown from his
horse.
In 1861 Father Martin established a Catholic school. The pastoral
residence of St. Vincent was built in 1870. In 1877 plans were made for a new
and larger church now needed to serve the congregation and the renowned
architect D.A. Bohlen of Indianapolis was the architect.
Tilson Wheeler
who married Rachel Worland was one of the staunch
members of this congregation; others were the families of Higgins,
Lux, Farrell, Pohlman, Meer, Ruhlman, Schaf,
Baver, Delekamp, and later Wicker, Runnebohm,
Zinser, Fussner and Leland.
Contributed by Barb Huff
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Prescott, in Shelby township, was laid out by S.
L. Downey, June 28, 1867, and to it was made
an addition in 1869. Like Lewis Creek, St. John's and Ray's Crossing, on the line of the Jefferson-
ville, Madison & Indianapolis Railroad, Prescott is but a way station. These villages have all had
their part in the general building up of Shelby county, but posses no great amount of local history
to be recorded inthis work, being published at the opening of the twentieth century.
Chadwick's History of Shelby County, Indiana, by Edward H. Chadwick, B.A.,
assisted by well known local talent, B.F. Bowen & Co, Publishers: Indianapolis,
IN, 1909, page 274.
1868 Prescott
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