Leopold is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Leopold Township,

Perry County Perry County may refer to: United States *Perry County, Alabama *Perry County, Arkansas *Perry County, Illinois *Perry County, Indiana *Perry County, Kentucky *Perry County, Mississippi *Perry County, Missouri *Perry County, Ohio *Perry Coun ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. With a population of less than 100, Leopold is the site of a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church, St. Augustine; a general store, Guillaume's Store; a restaurant, Marcy's; and a quiet atmosphere reminiscent of another time. On the last Sunday in July, Leopold holds its annual St. Augustine's picnic, which serves both as a fundraiser for the local parish and as a homecoming for former residents.

History

Leopold was founded in 1842 by the Reverend Augustine Bessonies and named for the then-reigning king of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, Leopold I. A post office has been in operation at Leopold since 1846. Most of the original settlers of Leopold were Belgian emigres. These "

lorrain Lorrain may refer to: * Claude Lorrain (1600–82), a 17th-century French artist of the baroque style * Lorrain language, a Romance dialect spoken in Lorraine region in France and Gaume region in Belgium See also * Lorain (disambiguation) * Lora ...

" settlers were Catholics from the French-speaking southern region of Belgium which had formerly been part of Luxembourg. They were motivated to move to America from cities along the

Meuse River The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

bordering

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, such as

Florenville Florenville (; Gaumais: ''Floravile'') is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. On 1 January 2016 the municipality had 5,639 inhabitants. The total area is 146.91 km², giving a population dens ...

and

Chiny Chiny (; wa, Tchini) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. On 1 January 2018 the municipality, which covers , had 5,175 inhabitants, giving a population density of 46 inhabitants per km2. The m ...

, after Belgium was placed under Protestant rule in the 1830s. The land and climate of Perry County was similar to their homeland and made for an easier transition. Because this was an open frontier, immigrants were required to sign an oath renouncing any allegiance to King Leopold.

Geography

Leopold is located fifteen miles north of the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

, at .

References

Belgian-American history Unincorporated communities in Perry County, Indiana Unincorporated communities in Indiana {{PerryCountyIN-geo-stub