Exhibits

first peoples &

native americans

Stone artifacts dating to 500 B.C.

give witness to the ancient hunter-gatherers who traveled along our waterways.

In the 1790s...

the Lenni Lenape peoples established 14 villages along the Wahapani. Chief Kikthawenund named his camp Wapiminskink. By 1818, white pioneers had encountered this Delaware tribe who had 14 towns along the White River. They knew that Chief Anderson called his site Chestnut Tree Place. The settlers renamed it Anderson’s Town and eventually shortened that to Anderson.

The Lenni Lenape/Delaware were friendly to the new residents. Additionally, before the 1790s, the Miami and other tribes claimed hunting rights to what is now central Indiana, and they frequented the White River region. Unfortunately, pioneer interaction with these other tribes was not always peaceful. In this exhibit, all of the many arrow and spear points, tools, and beads were discovered in Madison County, Indiana.

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