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A history of the area. For specific
information, click on any of the links within the text.
Named for Andrew Jackson’s victory in the battle of New
Orleans and located in the northern section of the
county,
Orleans is the oldest town in Orange County. It was
established in 1815, the same year in which the county
was created.
Just two years prior,
Orleans claimed another first in being the initial
community to build a school. Less than a half-century
later, as the transportation needs of Orange County
grew,
Orleans again claimed a county first. In 1851, the
New Albany and Salem Railroad completed the first rail
line into the county via
Orleans.
The tie to Jackson is not the only link between this
town and a military history.
Orleans produced General William T. Spicely, and his
24th Indiana Regiment, assisted General Uylsses S. Grant
in the capture of Vicksburg during the Civil War.
 Orleans claims the distinction of the “Dogwood
Capital of Indiana” and received a significant
endorsement for that claim from a former governor. In
1970, Edgar D. Whitcomb penned a resolution declaring
from that time on
Orleans would be entitled to that claim to fame.
“Whereas dogwood trees are native to southern Indiana,
grown profusely in this area of the state, enhance the
beauty there and are a part of our great Hoosier
Heritage; and whereas the efforts of the Town of Orleans
deserve special recognition for these efforts, the town
shall henceforth be known as the Dogwood Capital of
Indiana,” wrote Whitcomb. |
At the north edge of
Orleans, on the east side of State Road 37, stands
the Freeman’s Corner historical marker. This point, 250
feet east, signifies the junction of three important
Indian land cessions: the Treaty of Fort Wayne (1803):
the Treaty of Grouseland (1805): and the Treaty of Fort
Wayne (1809). The point was established by surveyor
Thomas Freeman and the marker was placed in 1966, during
Indiana’s 150th year celebration.
 The
centerpiece of
Orleans is its downtown Congress Square. This grassy
park was on the original town plat, drawn in March of
1815. Set aside for whatever the territorial
government, or town might deemed as right or needed,
except a burial ground. In time the square was home to
the Orleans Academy (a private college) just after the
Civil War and then later the building served as the
town's grade school until the mid 1960's when the town
agreed to turn the site into a park like setting.
Seven miles southwest of
Orleans is perhaps the most interesting geographical
site in all of Indiana, the famous, and mysterious,
Rise of the Lost River. Located in the small
community of Orangeville, the river re-appears above
ground from its dry stream bed after flowing underground
in one of Orange County’s 240 caves for an unverified
number of miles.
Nearby to the Orangeville rise is the
Wesley Chapel Gulf , another significant spot where
the water appears, or rises. The 187-acre tract of land
was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1972.
Lost River is home to some species of animals rarely
seen by most humans. Rare white crayfish are just one of
the underground water-loving species protected after the
Nature Conservancy of Indiana, which bought 213 acres of
land above for preservation.
No one is completely sure how far the complex cave
system extends and only about 17 miles have been
explored. However, underground it is expected to be the
longest cave system in the state if, or when, it can
ever be thoroughly explored.
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Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Post Office Box 71, French Lick, Indiana 47432
www.orangecounty.travel
Toll free: (877) 422-9925 Local: (812) 936-3418 Fax: (812) 936-7112
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