Peoria 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 Butler Township, Miami 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 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 ...

History

Peoria was laid out in 1845 by Isaac Litzenberger. Litzenberger soon opened a store. When the railroad was built in Miami County, it was not extended to Peoria, and the town declined. Peoria was named for the Peoria Clan, a subgroup of the Miami Indian Nation that still inhabits Miami County. The community has deep roots in the integration of Native Americans and Indiana settlers in the mid-19th century. The white settlers found prosperity similar to that experienced by the Native Americans in this region of the Mississinewa River. A ford and trading post made Peoria a convenient stop for people between the nearby communities of Peru, Wabash and Marion. It is located near the Miami Indian historic trading grounds known as "Seven Pillars."

Peoria Church

The Peoria Church and Peoria Cemetery are the only remaining institutions from the pioneer days. Peoria Church was founded by an early Butler Township settler, Benjamin Hahn. Hahn and his wife Anna lost their firstborn son in the area of Pucker Brush and decided to stay. In a revival meeting in 1856, Hahn had a Christian conversion experience and started a church on his homestead. The congregation is an independent community church with many connections to Hahn and other pioneer families. There are 75 members and the congregation remains active in the community as a house of worship and provider of charitable assistance in the community.

Mississinewa Reservoir and other attractions

In 1962, the Army Corps of Engineers began the

Mississinewa Lake Dam Mississinewa Lake Dam is a dam in Miami County, Indiana, just outside the town of Peru, in the central part of the state. Authorization and construction The dam was among those authorized by the 1958 Flood Control Act. The dam was designed and bu ...

project and moved the church and cemetery about 1/4 mile. The reservoir is still a year-round attraction for hunters and fishermen and a summer draw for boaters, swimmers, campers and hikers. There are a number of fishing and state recreation areas adjacent to the reservoir. Other area attractions include the

Frances Slocum Frances Slocum (March 4, 1773 – March 9, 1847) (Ma-con-na-quah, "Young Bear" or "Little Bear") was an adopted member of the Miami people. Slocum was born into a Quaker family that migrated from Warwick, Rhode Island, in 1777 to the Wyoming ...

Burial Site and Cemetery (a Miami Indian shrine), the Chief Richardville home, the

Peru Circus Hall of Fame , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

's family farm, the "Old Fashioned Garden" (popularized by Cole Porter) and

Seven Pillars Seven pillars may refer to: * Seven Pillars for Prosperity, policy statement of the Progressive Canadian Party * Seven Pillars Institute for Global Finance and Ethics (SPI) in Lawrence, Kansas *Seven pillars of Ismailism in Shia Islam and in Nizari ...

. Students from Peoria attend Maconaquah Schools.

Geography

Peoria is located at . The terrain is rolling and bisected by the

Mississinewa River The Mississinewa River is a tributary of the Wabash River in eastern Indiana and a small portion of western Ohio in the United States. It is long and is the third largest tributary behind the White and Little Wabash Rivers, only slightly larger t ...

. Non-agricultural lands are predominantly wooded by native Indiana hardwoods.

References

''The Legacy of Peoria United Methodist Church'' by Betty Robison Ames and the late Edith Winn, and the late Anna Faye Wimmer, published by the Church in 1993. Annual volumes were published for five years following. ''Peoria'', an unpublished novel by Pastor Brian Daniels, 2006. Peoria Cemetery records, held by the Peoria Cemetery Board and sexton. Peoria Church records, located at the Church, 5575 E 325 S, Peru, Indiana, 46970. {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Miami County, Indiana Unincorporated communities in Indiana