Hindostan, Martin Co., IN

HINDOSTAN

Martin County, INDIANA

Located along the East Fork of the White River, several miles southwest of Shoals, which is at the junction of US 50/150, 21 miles east of Washington in what was then Daviess County. The site of Hindostan was first settled around 1816 by Frederick Sholts when he established a sawmill, ferry and tavern at “The Falls”. He soon sold the land to a development company who in 1818 began to develop the location into a small town they dubbed HINDOSTAN, as one of the company’s officers once lived in India. The site was platted and development began in 1819.

By the end of that year it had became an important town and the population reached 500. One of the products produced was Hindostan Oil Stone. It also became an important keelboat and stage stopping place, as well as the county seat. It contained a grist mill, saw mill and a tavern.

The first jail was built in 1820, and in the summer Hindostan was a prosperous city. In the fall of that year, “a fever or pestilence” (probably cholera) swept through the area, strongly affecting future development of the town. By 1824 about half the settlers had left. The county seat was transferred to Mt. Pleasant, and by 1829, the site of Hindostan was a true ghost town. The post office was discontinued Dec 29, 1830, but by then Hindostan was just a memory.

Ruins include foundation pits, a restored church and a modern park near the site.

“I thought you might be interested in knowing that the ‘undetermined sickness’ that wiped out the town of Hindostan was cholera. About 90% of the town died in a very short time and the survivors moved to and settled in Mt. Pleasant a few miles away. Another telling sign of their existence in the area can be found on the flat rock just before the falls. There are still big square indentations from the posts that supported the once productive mill….”

Contributed by J Thomas 12/02/2007

This was our Ghost Town of the Month for May 2008

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FIRST POSTED: May 04, 2008

LAST UPDATED: January 10, 2011