Vallonia is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Driftwood Driftwood is a wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. It is part of beach wrack. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides ...

and Brownstown townships, Jackson 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 ...

, United States. It was an 18th-century French settlement and 19th-century

American frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the Geography of the United States, geography, History of the United States, history, Folklore of the United States, folklore, and Cultur ...

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

known as Fort Vallonia. As of the 2010 census, Vallonia had a population of 336.

History

Fort Vallonia

Vallonia was a French settlement of the late 18th century and lay between the Muscatatuck River and the White River's east fork (aka Driftwood). ''Circa'' 1810, hostilities began between the settlers and Native Americans. Governor General

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

ordered a fort built as well as a number of other defensive structures including a large stockade, garrison, blockhouses, and a spring. to be built to protect the some 90 families in the area. Two companies of

Indiana Rangers The Indiana Rangers, also known as the Indiana Territorial Mounted Rangers, were a mounted militia formed in 1807 and operated in the early part of the 19th century to defend settlers in Indiana Territory from attacks by Native Americans. The ra ...

were stationed here during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Huff's Fort and Ketcham's Fort were two other fortifications, though not as large. Huff's fort was said to be "higher up" than Vallonia and Ketcham's "still above". One of the companies of Indiana Rangers was newly organized, and set out to investigate claims of a Native American war party near Brownstown. Finding no war party, the company returned to Fort Vallonia, but one ranger, Robert Sturgeon, rode ahead. He was ambushed by Native Americans and killed. The Rangers, in a panic, rode hard back to Fort Vallonia, never stopping to help Sturgeon. Five civilians finally left the fort to recover Sturgeon's body, and buried it near the fort. When Major John Tipton arrived and learned of the Rangers' conduct, he assumed command of the fort and began routine drills of the two companies stationed at the fort. A later skirmish, known as the Battle of Tipton's Island, allowed the Rangers to prove their ability to engage Native Americans. Numerous attacks and skirmishes occurred between the Rangers of Fort Vallonia and American Indians during the War of 1812. Attacks in this area of the Indiana Territory diminished after an expedition to destroy the

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

village at the confluence of the

Wabash River The Wabash River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana, and a significant part of Illinois, in the United ...

and Mississinewa River. That expedition left Fort Vallonia on July 1, 1813, led by Colonel William Russell in command of the Indiana Rangers and Major

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...

(future

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

) in command of the 7th Infantry Regiment, as well as a company of Kentucky volunteers. The force destroyed the deserted village, which had been heavily fortified by

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, but covered without encountering a single Native American.

Later developments

Vallonia was legally

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1853.

Geography

Vallonia is located in southwestern Jackson County on the southeast side of the valley of the East Fork of the White River. Indiana State Road 135 passes through the community, leading northeast to Brownstown, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, and south to Salem. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the Vallonia CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.04%, are water.

Demographics

Today

Vallonia is a small

located on S. State Road 135. In 1972, Fort Vallonia was rebuilt and is the centerpiece for the annual Fort Vallonia Days festival. The three-day event is held on the third weekend of October and draws crowds of up to 30,000 people.

References

External links

http://fortvalloniadays.com/
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Jackson County, Indiana Unincorporated communities in Indiana Census-designated places in Jackson County, Indiana Census-designated places in Indiana Indiana in the War of 1812 Populated places established in 1853 1853 establishments in Indiana