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Just A Little History...

 

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Madison County is created by Governor Hendricks on January 4th, 1823 and Pendleton becomes the first county seat.

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What became known as the "Massacre At Fall Creek" takes place on March 22, 1824 where the town of Markleville now stands. Nine peaceful and Indigenous Indians are killed and five men are brought to trial in Pendleton. Three will hang at the banks of The Fall on January 12, 1825 marking the first time in our country's early history that white men were hung for atrocities against the native peoples.

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Fall_Creek_Massacre
Lobby Bar & Cafe

Iconic Moments

December 29, 1818
Settler's Arrive
John Rogers arrives just east of "The Falls" December 29,1818.

1820
The oldest home in Pendleton today, the Grey Goose Inn is built.
Once serving travelers on the Ft. Wayne to Shelbyville road a tavern was added in 1832. The Inn thrived due to the traffic waiting to cross the only bridge across Fall Creek located two hundred yards away. 

January 4, 1823
Pendleton Becomes 1st County Seat Of Madison County.

March 22, 1824
Massacre Of The Innocent
Learn More Here

In 1843, noted abolitionist Frederick Douglass speaks in Pendleton. Douglass is accosted and injured near the Falls but local Quakers quickly rush to his aid and save him. Read Douglass's own words about the account.

1923
The Indiana State Reformatory (Pendleton Correctional Facility) is established. Construction is completed in March of 1924 by prisoners.

January 9, 1936
Town Hall Explosion
Five men lose their lives and several others sustain serious injuries when an explosion is triggered by a match that ignites sewer gas in a cistern, all while Mr. Irwin Taylor is searching for his misplaced glasses.
 

October 5, 1960
Presidential Candidate Senator John F. Kennedy Pays Pendleton A Visit
Read Kennedy's Pendleton Speech Here

May 27, 2019
Moderate damage to the town occurs when a EF-2 tornado strikes the town.

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