Editing Plymouth, Indiana (section)

==History==
[[File:Plymouth IN Firestation.JPG|thumb|upright=1|Historic fire station with patchwork quilt designs on doors]]
[[File:Plymouth-indiana-centennial-park.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Centennial Park on N. Michigan Street (SR 17)]]
[[File:Marshall Co IN Courthouse.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Marshall County, Indiana|Marshall County]] courthouse]]

===Early history===
This area was part of the territory of the [[Potawatomi]] Native Americans, one of the historical tribes encountered by American settlers. In the nineteenth century, the United States government made numerous treaties to buy and extinguish Native American claims to land in the former [[Northwest Territory]] and the Southeast.

===First settlements===
Marshall County was formed in 1836, during the early years of settlement and before the [[Indian removal|forced removal]] of the Potawatomi people in 1838. It was named for [[Chief Justice of the United States|U.S. Chief Justice]] [[John Marshall]], who died in 1835.<ref>{{Cite book |last=De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle |url=https://archive.org/details/anillustratedhi02tuttgoog |title=An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana |publisher=R. S. Peale & co. |year=1875 |location=Indiana |pages=[https://archive.org/details/anillustratedhi02tuttgoog/page/n579 567] |via=[[Archive.org]]}}</ref> Marshall County is notable as the starting point in 1838 of the [[Potawatomi Trail of Death]], which was the forced removal by United States forces of [[Chief Menominee]] and 859 Potawatomi Indians from Indiana to [[Indian Territory]], at the site of present-day [[Osawatomie, Kansas]], a distance of {{convert|660|mi}}. The first settlers arrived in what is now Marshall County in 1835. They arrived as a result of the end of the [[Black Hawk War]] as well as the completion of the [[Erie Canal]]. They consisted primarily of settlers from [[New England]], "[[Yankee]]s" descended from the [[English people|English]] [[Puritans]] who settled New England in the colonial era. They were mainly members of the [[Congregational church]], although due to the [[Second Great Awakening]] many of them had converted to [[Methodism]] and some had become [[Baptists]] before coming to what is now Marshall County. As a result of this heritage, some place names in Marshall County are named after places in New England, such as Plymouth, which is named after [[Plymouth, Massachusetts]], the site where the ''[[Mayflower]]'' landed in 1620.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McDonald |first=Daniel |title=A Twentieth Century History of Marshall County, Indiana, Volume 1 |publisher=Lewis Publishing Company |year=1908}}</ref>

Plymouth, located near the center of Marshall County, was established on both banks of the [[Yellow River (Indiana)|Yellow River]], a stream flowing from northeast to southwest across the county.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Brant |first=Fuller |title=History of Indiana: Containing a History of Indiana and Biographical Sketches of Governors and Other Leading Men. Also a Statement of the Growth and Prosperity of Marshall County, Together With a Personal and Family History of Many of Its Citizens; Volume 1 |publisher=Wentworth Press |year=1890 |publication-date=August 26, 2016 |pages=23–24}}</ref> In 1836, a [[dam]] and [[sawmill]] were constructed on the river.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McDonald |first=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Twentieth_Century_History_of_Marshall.html?id=w0PWAAAAMAAJ |title=A Twentieth Century History of Marshall County, Indiana |publisher=Lewis Publishing Company |year=1908 |location=Chicago |pages=69 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Many of the original settlers were immigrants from [[Germany]], and mostly practiced farming.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=McDonald |first=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w0PWAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA105 |title=A Twentieth Century History of Marshall County, Indiana |publisher=Lewis Publishing Company |year=1908 |pages=74–78 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> Upon their arrival, the land was covered with dense [[forest]]s and [[marsh]]lands, which required clearing and drainage before it could be cultivated. Early crops grown in Marshall County included [[Maize|corn]], [[wheat]], [[oat]]s, [[rye]], and [[bean]]s.<ref name=":0" />

The [[Indian Removal Act]] of 1830 authorized the forcible removal of Native American tribes from this area. In 1832, the United States government acquired the land through the [[Treaty of Tippecanoe]].

Plymouth became the [[county seat]] of Marshall County in 1836<ref name=":1" /> and established its first [[post office]] in 1837.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McDonald |first=Daniel |title=A Twentieth Century History of Marshall County, Indiana |publisher=Lewis Publishing Company |year=1908 |pages=149}}</ref> The town was officially incorporated in 1851,<ref>{{Cite book |last=McDonald |first=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w0PWAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA105 |title=A Twentieth Century History of Marshall County, Indiana, Volume 1 |publisher=Lewis Publishing Company |year=1908 |page=105 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> and by 1900, its population had grown to 3,656, making it the largest town in the county.<ref name=":0" />

====Potawatomi relocation====
Although many Potawatomi had relocated to [[Indian Territory]] in present-day Kansas, [[Chief Menominee]] and his band of the Yellow River refused to go. Militia under the authority of United States Army officers rounded them up and in September 1838, the band of 859 headed west, in what became known as the [[Potawatomi Trail of Death]]. They traveled more than 660 miles to [[Osawatomie, Kansas]], with many of the Potawatomi walking. More than 40 of the tribal members died on the march.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Potawatomi Trail of Death |url=http://www.potawatomi-tda.org/ |access-date=2022-01-12 |website=Potawatomi-tda.org}}</ref>

====American Civil War====
During the Civil War, Union Army soldiers arrested Daniel E. VanValkenburgh, editor of the ''Plymouth Weekly Democrat'', who criticized what he viewed as Lincoln's abuses of power. VanValkenburgh also criticized Department of Ohio commander Ambrose Burnside's lieutenant, General Milo S. Hascall. Hascall was in charge of the District of Indiana. VanValkenburgh called Hascall a donkey in the pages of the ''Democrat.'' Hascall promptly dispatched soldiers to arrest VanValkenburgh and brought him before Burnside to answer charges of violating Burnside's General Order No. 38. Burnside let VanValkenburgh off with a warning. The ''Democrat'' became the first of eleven Democratic newspapers suppressed or threatened with suppression in May 1863.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Killing the Serpent Speedily" |url=http://blog.newspapers.library.in.gov/killing-the-serpent-speedily-governor-morton-general-hascall-and-the-suppresion-of-the-democratic-press-in-indiana-1863/ |website=Indiana Historic Newspaper Digitization Project blog}}</ref>

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====History as a Sundown Town====
Like many towns and counties in Indiana following the [[Reconstruction era]], Plymouth was once considered a [[sundown town]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Plymouth |url=https://justice.tougaloo.edu/sundowntown/plymouth-in/}}</ref> Accounts by locals claim that signs at the northern city limits read, "Blacks out of town by sundown" or "All non-residents are required to leave the city by 9 pm", with a city ordinance listed at the bottom. There were no such signs at the southern border of town on US 31, nor on the east and west entrances on US 30. These signs remained posted well into the mid 60s until the [[Fair Housing Act of 1968]] which banned [[racial discrimination]] in the sale, rental, and financing of housing. Although the city has since become more inclusive, the African-American population still remains remarkably low at 0.6%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Plymouth City, Indiana |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/plymouthcityindiana/PST040218 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112152157/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/plymouthcityindiana/PST040218 |archive-date=2019-11-12 |access-date=2019-11-12 |website=Census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> As of today, there has been no public acknowledgment by the city of its history of exclusion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.plymouthin.com/index.php/community/history/ |website=PlymouthIN.com}}</ref>
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===Later history===
On July 6, 1915, the Liberty Bell stopped in Plymouth on its trip from Philadelphia to the Exposition at San Francisco.<ref>{{Cite web |title=31 Dec 1969, Page 1 - The Culver Citizen at Newspapers.com |url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=25936971&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjExNjI1MDc2NCwiaWF0IjoxNTU0NDc2MDY0LCJleHAiOjE1NTQ1NjI0NjR9.kqrLec_FYyxAO3NIK1gC6A2cWra0kbwu9qbfnWWQehE |access-date=2019-04-05 |via=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Fried |first=Stephen |date=April 2017 |title=How the Liberty Bell Won the Great War |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-liberty-bell-won-great-war-180962471/ |magazine=Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref>

Much of Plymouth's history was documented in two major newspapers during the 19th century. The ''Marshall County Republican'' (also titled ''Plymouth Republican'' and ''Plymouth Tribune'') operated from 1856 to 1922.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chandler Lighty |date=2013-09-27 |title=A History of the Plymouth Republican |url=https://blog.newspapers.library.in.gov/plymouth-republican/ |access-date=2022-01-12 |website=Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Newspaper Program |language=en-US}}</ref> Its main rival the ''Marshall County Democrat'' (also titled ''Plymouth Democrat'') appeared from 1855 to 1932 (and as a weekly only edition until January 1, 1941).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chandler Lighty |date=2013-10-08 |title=Plymouth's Democratic Newspaper from 1856-1870 Digitized |url=https://blog.newspapers.library.in.gov/plymouth-democrat-history/ |access-date=2022-01-12 |website=Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Newspaper Program |language=en-US}}</ref> The ''Plymouth Daily Pilot'' acquired the ''Republican'' in 1922, and the ''Democrat'' became the ''Plymouth Daily News'' in 1932. The ''News'' and ''Pilot'' merged to become the ''Plymouth Pilot-News'' in 1947.

As part of Plymouth's sesquicentennial celebration in 1966, organizers created the first Marshall County Blueberry Festival, to take place over Labor Day weekend. This tradition has continued annually, and the Festival typically brings in tens of thousands of visitors over the four-day event.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marshall County Blueberry Festival History |url=http://www.blueberryfestival.org/pg/history.html |access-date=August 4, 2013 |archive-date=August 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828120332/http://blueberryfestival.org/pg/history.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In July 1982, five firefighters were killed when their fire truck overturned while responding to a call. The tanker truck crashed on a curve near West School on state road 17.

In March 2024, a semi-truck crashed into a Hacienda from US-30.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VIDEO: Lane reduction on U.S. 30 after semi crashes into Hacienda |url=https://www.abc57.com/news/lane-reduction-on-us-30-after-semi-crashes-into-hacienda |access-date=2024-09-11 |website=ABC57 |language=en}}</ref>

The [[East Laporte Street Footbridge]], [[Heminger Travel Lodge]], [[Marshall County Courthouse (Indiana)|Marshall County Courthouse]], [[Plymouth Downtown Historic District]], [[Plymouth Northside Historic District]], [[Plymouth Southside Historic District]], and [[Plymouth Fire Station]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref><ref name="nps">{{Cite web |date=2013-10-18 |title=National Register of Historic Places Listings |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/20131018.htm |website=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 9/16/13 through 9/30/13 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref><ref name="nps1">{{Cite web |date=2014-01-10 |title=National Register of Historic Places Listings |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/20140110.htm |website=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/30/13 through 1/03/14 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>