China

China, Indiana is located in Jefferson County, along State Road 62 and the Indian-Kentuck Creek.

The Indian-Kentuck Creek, which runs into the Ohio River about 10 miles south of China, was important in the village’s early days. The creek had the ability to support mills. According to some accounts, Samuel Demaree, who died in 1826, founded the China Paper Mill. Another account states that Henry Jackson and James Hamilton started the paper mill between 1835 and 1840. Ownership of the China Paper Mill changed several times until the 1860s, when William W. Demaree sold the boiler and engine of the mill. Saw and grist mills also operated along the creek. Elma Schafer writes that the longest mill operation in the China area belonged to Heitz family. Three generations owned and operated a mill between 1850 and the 1930s, despite several destructive fires.

Religion is also important in China’s history. Center, also known as Central, Presbyterian Church was founded in the early 1830s; the exact date is not known. In 1833, land was sold to the church trustees. Moses Wilder, a member of the American Tract Society, served as a minister. Wilder also became China’s first postmaster in 1833. However, Center Presbyterian does not appear to have lasted long.

In the 1840s, German Catholic began settling in the area around China. The early settlers attended services in Madison. The first mass in China was celebrated on June 13, 1849 in the home of John “Hans” Weber. Soon a parish was started. Schafer explains, “St. Anthony was chosen as the patron and name of the church since the first Mass was held on the feast of St. Anthony, June 13.” A log church was completed in 1861. In 1869, a stone church was constructed and still stands today.

St. Anthony’s Catholic School operated from 1870 until 1912. Schafer retells a story about Bertha Zapp, a teacher at the school:

“[She] taught at China in 1903 – 1904 and was responsible for saving her children from a flood. Apparently the water burst into the district school at China and the flood reached the desks of the children. Miss Zapp would grab as many children as she could carry and waded through the swirling water to safety. She returned until the entire class was evacuated.”

In 1993, St. Anthony’s and several parishes in Jefferson County merged to form Prince of Peace in Madison. The stone church is now owned by Shepherds of Christ Ministries, a Catholic retreat.

From the picture, you can see that the church does not face the road (SR 62). An earlier road followed the creek and was on the other side of the church. The road was moved in 1912.

The origin of the village’s name is not clear. Schafer writes that the name came from Father Munschina, who served and visited German Catholics in the Madison area. However, the Catholics did not settle around China until the 1840s, after a post office named China was established. In Needmore to Prosperity, Robert L. Baker explains that the village was originally called Indiana Kentucky. However, “the name was changed by the Post Office Department to China, apparently for the country, on January 30, 1833, when a post office was established.” China’s post office closed in 1902, after two earlier interruptions in service. Today, China has a few homes, the retreat center, and a thrift store located at the village’s old general store.

Sources:

• Baker, R. L. (1995). From Needmore to Prosperity : Hoosier place names in folklore and history. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
• Scafer, E. (1993). The history of St. Anthony's Catholic Church and community, China, Indiana, 1849 - 1993.
• Scott, R.W. (2012). The history of Jefferson County. Raleigh: Lulu Enterprises