Strawtown myths: Hamilton County's first murder, Chief Straw and more

<p dir="ltr">One persistent myth about <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawtown,_Indiana"><strong>Strawtown</strong></a> is that the village in <strong><a href= "https://www.hamiltoncounty.in.gov/">Hamilton County</a></strong> near the <strong><a href= "https://hoosierhistorylive.org/mail/2019-07-13.html">White River</a></strong> came close to being designated the new state capital of Indiana more than 200 years ago.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src= "http://hoosierhistorylive.org/images/David-Heighway.PNG" alt= "David Heighway" width="176" height="257" align="right" />Other myths involve <strong>Chief Straw</strong>, the supposed namesake of the village who has been described as an early Native American leader in central Indiana. Even though a 10-foot monument to Chief Straw was built in the 1920s in his honor, historians now doubt that he ever existed. The monument to Chief Straw, who was said to be a leader of the <a href= "http://delawaretribe.org/"><strong>Lenape (or Delaware) tribe</strong></a> during the 1780s, is now on private property.</p> <p dir="ltr">Still other myths concern <strong><a href= "https://blog.history.in.gov/a-pioneer-murder-mystery/">a slaying in 1821 that probably was the first murder in Hamilton County</a></strong>. The victim, an early white settler of <strong><a href="https://www.madisoncounty.in.gov/">Madison County</a></strong>, was allegedly killed at a tavern in Strawtown by Native Americans during a clash with an ax-wielding mob of farmers. But historians now doubt several aspects of the narrative about the murder that have persisted for generations.</p> <p dir="ltr">To sift myths from facts about Strawtown, Hamilton County historian <strong>David Heighway</strong> will be Nelson's guest.</p> <p dir="ltr">David has been a guest on several other Hoosier History Live shows, including <strong><a href= "https://hoosierhistorylive.org/mail/2019-06-29.html">a program in 2017 about the violent early era of Fishers</a></strong>. David's popular presentations about the rough-and-tumble