The Tragic Tale of Hindostan Falls, Indiana

English: Pioneer cemetery, Hindostan, Indiana (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hindostan Falls Indiana is Indiana's most interesting ghost town. It was originally part of Daviess County until 1818 when it becomes the county seat of Martin County. It seemed like the perfect place for prospective Hoosiers to settle. A small creek ran through the center of the settlement and emptied into the White River. It was a perfect place to put a water run gristmill because there was a small water fall below the ford and at the bottom was a flat sandstone area. You can still see the hewed holes that supported the piling that held up the gristmill.

Frederick Shoulz the then sheriff of Daviess County, found this tract of land and purchased it on speculation. In 1816 Mr. Shoulz opened a tavern and start running a ferry on the river. The spot at that time was called, Rock Ribbon Springs. The ferry was a much needed asset for the area for settlers in that part of Indiana. Many times travelers tried to cross the White River at the ford and ended up falling into the shallow rushing water of the White River. The tavern provided a much needed place to stop and rest for many of these travelers weary from their journey.

In 1818 Fredrick Shoulz owned a tavern, gristmill , ferry, and 1,000 acres of land. Many of the settlers who had been traveling westward decided that Rock Ribbon Springs was a perfect place to settle. The game was plentiful and the fishing good. The increasing number of travelers on their way west , found Hindostan a decidedly good place for a prosperous frontier town.

The town of Hindostan Falls was plated in 1819 and made the county seat of the newly formed Martin County. A company called the "Proprietors of Hindostan" came into being. The town name was based on the travels of one of the early investors ,who had traveled to India. They hired J.W. Rawlings to survey the town and it was broken up in the 324 lots that sold for $200 dollars a piece.

The founding of Hindostan looked to be proving to be a prosperous venture as the Mr. Shoulz had purchased the land for $2.00 and acre from the government. Most of the land was brought by settlers on promissory notes .The town grew quickly. In the 1820 census the town listed 33 heads of household.

Early in 1820 the town boasted 18 well built permanent dwelling, two mills, a black smith, tannery, and locally well known stone factory known as the Hindostan Whit . In November 1820 tragedy hit the town and sealed the fate of Hindostan Falls as a town. In that month 15 residents contracted Yellow Fever or Cholera and died. The disease continued to kill of large numbers of the residents who did not flee. The mysterious fever finally ceased in the town in1822. The town having been to a large part abandoned, could not be used any longer as the county seat. The county seat was moved across the river to a town called Mount Pleasant which is today also a ghost town.

The next tragedy to have befallen the last few investors of Hindostan was the death of the county treasurer to the fever. He had arranged for the transport of the funds estimated to be about 15,000 dollars to the new county seat in Mount Pleasant. It was said that most of the treasury existed in gold coin. The coins mysteriously disappeared on the journey never to have been found. Some believe the fevered treasurer had buried the coins somewhere between Hindostan Falls and Mount Pleasant.

The town of Hindostan Falls existed as town until 1828 ;when that post office was closed and the town officially ceased to exist. The surviving families that had fled during the fever returned to try to revive the town after 1822 All attempts failed to revive the town because most families had never paid fully for their plats brought on credit. The company that had financed the speculation the, Proprietors of Hindostan had dissolved the same year the fever had claimed the last life of the settlers who had stayed. The town of Hindostan Falls in the summer before the fever hit had 1,000 residents.

The only permanent residents who will remain eternally in Hindostan are those buried in the local cemeteries. Their graves are the only real testament to the fact that the town of Hindostan Falls ever existed at all. The names of these residents can be seen in the following grave yards.

Hall Cemetery - Latitude: 383923N; Longitude: 0864931W - 
located southwest of Shoals, in Center Township.

McBride's Cemetery - Latitude: 384353N; Longitude: 0864634W - 
located near the E. Fork of White River, north of Shoals, and east of Dover Hill, in Center Township.

Sholts Cemetery - Latitude: 383820N; Longitude: 0864952W - 
located southwest of Shoals, in Center Township.

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