Palestine is an abandoned city in Shawswick Township, Lawrence County,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. Palestine was the original county seat of Lawrence County from 1818 to 1825, when

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

took the position.

History

Palestine was founded on May 25, 1818, by Benjamin and Ezekiel Blackwell. After maintaining a stable population for quite some time, Palestine was suggested to become the new state capital, as being situated on a high bluff over the White River. Palestine lost the election to

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

later in the next year. The courthouse at Palestine was erected in January 1819. The father of Joseph A. Wright, a former governor of Indiana, cut and laid the stone for the foundation. As one of the most flourishing towns in

Southern Indiana Southern Indiana is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern third of the U.S. state of Indiana and borders the states of Illinois to the west, Kentucky to the south, and Ohio to the east. Spanning the state's southe ...

, the city had a population of 600–700 in the 1820 United States census. In a trial in between 1823 and 1824, slavery was allowed in the city of Palestine. Residing in Palestine, Joseph Glover was the first county sheriff, who brought the first clock into the county. The city of Palestine was plagued by

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

, leading to a steep decline in population over the next decade. Shortly afterwards, in 1825, the county seat was relocated to the city of Bedford, where the courthouse stands today.

References

{{Lawrence County, Indiana 1818 establishments in Indiana Ghost towns in Indiana Lawrence County, Indiana Populated places established in 1818