Bear Swamp

Much of western Warren Township was originally swampy land. Now, there are just pockets here and there. The swamps probably drew bears for a couple of reasons: good fishing and few people. Carroll Ditch is part of the system of ditches and drains that were installed to make the land arable (farmable).

In a story from Township by Township.

“An area in the western part of the township was known as Bear Swamp. It contained the largest bear population in the county. Harrowing tales are told of people getting lost in the swamp and livestock getting mired down in the mud.

Driving west of Bippus it is still possible to see how the Erie Railroad tracks were elevated because of the swamp. Another story tells of an early church service that was interrupted by a bare-chested John Abbott, who announced, ‘I’ve treed a bare!”

At this point, all male parishioners promptly left the service went home to get their rifles and surrounded the tree. Abbott had tied his shirt and vest around the tree to keep the bear from climbing down. Upon his command the men took aim, fired and the unfortunate bruin came tumbling down.”

The characteristics that made the swampy land appealing to bears also resulted in land appealing to farmers. Swampy land is good farmland – if it can be drained – because of the deep deposits of biomass that turns into rich soil. Beginning in 1873, a series of state laws made drainage associations legal and defined how ditches could be paid for (ultimately by the people through whose land the ditch passed).

In his 1914 history of the county, Bash has this to say about the swamps:

“Old settlers can remember when certain portions of Huntington County were too wet for agricultural purposes, especially in the early spring when the snows melted, to which were frequently added heavy rains. These low, wet lands were the last to be settled and in their original state they were the source of much of the fever and ague with which the pioneers had to contend. Drainage has improved the land and brought it under cultivation, increasing the profits of the owner many fold. While the advantages to the owner of the swamp land may be reckoned in a pecuniary sense, the drainage of these lands has conferred a lasting benefit upon all the adjacent territory by improving the sanitary conditions, thus stamping out malaria and enhancing the general health of the inhabitants.”

So, Bear Swamp was drained by area farmers when they installed tile from the many nearby tile factories to feed the ditches they dug as common improvements. There may be more tile under Warren Township than any other due to its original character. 

1. History of Huntington County, Indiana: From the Earliest Time. 1887. Chicago: Brant & Fuller, p
2. Huntington County, Indiana History: Township by Township. 2004-2005. Jean Gernand. Warren Township.
3. Combination Atlas Map of Huntington County, Indiana. 1879. Kingman Bros., p65.
4. History of Huntington County, Indiana: A Narrative Account. 1914. Frank Sumner Bash. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., p230-232.
5. “Photograph698 – Majenica Tile Co.” From the collection of the Huntington City-Township Public Library.