Montgomery County never fails to surprise the visitor with its unique and varied history. Even local residents are often unaware of some of their county heritage. Anyone who spends some time in Crawfordsville will eventually know about General Lew Wallace, author of the one-time bestseller Ben-Hur, as well as Senator Henry Lane, who helped found the Republican Party and get Abraham Lincoln nominated for the presidency. Wabash College was founded here in 1832 and is one of the two remaining all-male colleges in the nation -- with the dubious honor of having fired Ezra Pound before he went on to fame as a poet. The Hidden History of Montgomery County will touch upon such topics but will also bring to light many of the area's other deserving stories.

Hamilton County's past harbors sundry strange tales, many of them lost to time--until now. In 1867, a groom disappeared just before his wedding, presumably running away on cold feet. Four decades later, his remains were discovered buried under a shed in a mystery that remains unsolved. In the 1870s, the sheriff marshaled a seven-man posse, including two local African Americans, to deal with "desperados" in an isolated corner of the county. Their heroic efforts swiftly liberated the local populace from the yoke of banditry. A giant wave of ravenous squirrels descended on Central Indiana in 1822 to feast on crops, to the shock and dismay of new settlers. Join County Historian David Heighway for a tour of all things odd and forgotten.

Montgomery County, Indiana, Through Time is an overview of the eleven townships that make up a county whose recorded history extends back to the 1820s. Montgomery County's largest town, Crawfordsville, is the county seat and sits at the center of all, in its largest and most populated township, Union. Union township is encircled by the other ten county townships, each with its own local interest and varying geography. Some townships retain many reminders of their long history in their towns and the number of residents. Other townships saw settlements and residents come and go, and a few areas are as sparsely populated as they were in the first decades of the nineteenth century. But every township contributed in some way to the formation of Montgomery County and deserves its place in any examination of this unique region that acted as a gateway--and often a stopping point--for the settlement of America's Midwest.