Leota is an

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 Finley Township, Scott County, 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 sove ...

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 ...

History and culture

Originally called Finley Crossroads after John Finley, an early settler, Leota, Indiana is described as being rich in agrarian culture. Two of Scott County's oldest roads, Cincinnati Trace (now Leota Road) and Brownstown-Charlestown Rd (Bloomington Trail Rd) intersect where there is now a covered bridge. The community was named for the first postmaster's (Mathias Mount) daughter who died when she was only two years old. At one time there was a general store, a canning factory, a post office in Leota and eleven one room schools in the township. The post office ran from 1884 to 1901. The first doctor in the area was Dr. John Richey who married Sichy Collings, both survivors of the

Pigeon Roost Massacre Pigeon Roost State Historic Site is located between Scottsburg and Henryville, Indiana, United States. A one-lane road off U.S. Route 31 takes the visitor to the site of a village where Native Americans massacred 24 settlers shortly after th ...

Morgan's Raid Morgan's Raid was a diversionary incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Union states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia during the American Civil War. The raid took place from June 11 to July 26, 1863, and is named for the command ...

went through the township in the summer of 1863 taking horses, food, money, etc. while requiring ladies of the area to cook meals for them. Over the years, Leota has remained deeply connected to agricultural roots. Much of the surrounding township remains active in agriculture through large farms, subsistence farms, household gardens and local husbandry. Bethel Baptist Church is the primary church in the village with 100 or so active members. Her location on the hill overlooks the valley just below and carries one's eyes to the hills of the

Knobstone Escarpment The Knobstone Escarpment is a rugged geologic region in Southern Indiana. Physically, the Knobstone Escarpment is the most rugged terrain in Indiana. The highest hill in the area is Weed Patch Hill, with an elevation The elevation of a geogra ...

to the west. Helen Trueblood has hosted a nationally recognized

Daffodil ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as ''Sternbergia'', ''Ism ...

Show here in April for many years. The Leota Frolic is held here each August as a way to celebrate the rich cultural history and spirit of this place.Pictorial History of Scott County, Indiana - Volume 1, Turner Pub. 2002

Geography

Leota is located about 30 miles (47 km) north of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, at .

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Scott County, Indiana Unincorporated communities in Indiana