"Ken McCutchan is a life-long resident of Vanderburgh County, Indiana, descended from pioneer families that entered the area in the early 1800s. He is veteran of WWII, having served with Army Corps of Engineers in both North Africa and Europe. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Composition and Modern Language from the University of Evansville, a certificate in French Language and Culture from the Sorbonne in Paris, and an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from the University of Southern Indiana. His other books include: The Adventures of Isaac Knight, From then Til Now, Saundersville, An English Settlement, At The Bend in the River, and Dearest Lizzie. Mr. McCutchan's books may be purchased at Willard Library in Evansville, IN.

Cholera in Evansville.   

by Kenneth P. McCutchan

One of the most feared diseases of the mid-19th century was cholera. It struck suddenly, killed quickly, and doctors had no knowledge to combat it. There were many stories of whole families being wiped out in a day or two.

The first epidemic to strike Evansville seemed to have come up river on the steamboats from New Orleans in 1832. In just a few days more than 50 people died, about 20 percent of the population of the town at that time.

The old graveyard at Fourth and Vine had to be enlarged to accommodate the burials

In 1849 the disease again moved up the valley, this time as far as Louisville, Ky. It was reported that 160 people died there in one day. The Wabash-Erie Canal was under construction at the time, and hundreds of Irish immigrants were working on the project at a site about seven miles southeast of Princeton, Indiana. Eighty of the workers died within three weeks and were buried in hastily dug trenches.

Three years later the town of Princeton, Indiana was hit hard. Dr. Blair worked tirelessly day and night trying to bring relief to his patients, often with little success. He was called to the home of the Ritzie family, and when he arrived it was dark. By the light of the fireplace, he could see Mrs. Ritzie lying dead on the floor. Her husband was lying across a bed unconscious and died in a short while. Their 6-year daughter, Margaret, was asleep in her bed. The doctor took the child out of the house, and, with considerable difficulty, finally found a neighbor who would agree to take her in and care for her. She survived.

The last visitation of the dreaded disease came in 1873. Evansville and Mount Vernon, Indiana, and Cairo and Carmi, Illinois were particularly hit hard.

In Mount Vernon, the epidemic raged for five weeks before it ran its course. The citizens burned great piles of coal at street corners and scatted lime and other disinfectants all over the town, between 75 and 80 people were dead.

The first victim in Princeton, Indiana during 1873 was a widow, Mrs. John Seabrooks. After her death her clothing and bed clothes were washed in Indiana Camp Creek. The Wetherby family, who lived a way downstream, used water from the creek for drinking. The next evening Mrs. Wetherby became ill and died. Two of the children died the following night. Two days later the father and two more of the children were gone. Only one survived. In the town of Francisco, Indiana, a cooper named Whitlock suspended his barrel making and went into business making coffins. By the time the disease seem to have run its course, he was closing up the 60th, and he was said to have remarked, “I’m going to nail up cholera in this coffin.”

Two hours later he was dead, and was buried in the 61st coffin.