Atlanta Indiana

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In Tracing the history of the community back to its origins, we are led to the person of Gen. Michael Shields, who was born in Ireland in 1793. Before settling in this area Gen. Shields had served in the wars in the eastern section of our nation. He and his wife, Bridget, settled here in 1834. Shields is known as the Father of the town of Atlanta for his land included the existing town boundaries, plus 160 acres (a half mile) west. At that time there were very few settlers in the area, so the main commercial transactions were with the Miami Indians. Shields built his trading post in 1836 on the western part of his land, and laid out a town called Shieldsville. The trading post, built of logs, served the few white settlers in the area and the Miami Indians. There are some in the community today who can still remember this log building. Shieldsville obtained a post office, and Gen. Shields became the first post master. There must have been a lot of competition and expectations to be found in those times, for around 1835 Caleb Sparger came to the area to settle. His land adjoined that of Shields on the west. He also built a trading post out of logs, and laid out plots for a town which he named after himself, Spargersville; however, he did not stay long and soon left the area. In 1846 Andrew Tucker bought land from Shields east of Shieldsville, and laid out a town which was named Buena Vista. As was often the case in those days, survival of communities depended upon the coming...

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