Patricksburg
Patricksburg (also Lancaster) is an unincorporated community in eastern Marion Township. It lies along State Road 246, west of the city of Spencer. Patricksburg has a post office, with the ZIP code of 47455.
The town was founded by Patrick Sullivan, who purchased the land in 1838. In 1851 he platted out a village on the northwest quarter of Section 15 Township 10 north, Range 5 west, and named it Lancaster. The original plat shows eight blocks and 39 lots. Main Street and Marion Street ran east-west and Walnut, Chestnut, and Orange Streets ran north-south. Although a number of dwellings had been erected on the site prior to the platting, the survey of the town gave the place new interest and not long thereafter a number of residences were built and occupied and a store was in successful operation. An early store was run by Kelly and John Baumgartner and was later sold to Williams & Rice and then William Royer and a man named Haas. Royer later also ran a hotel.
A saw mill was built in the south part of the town about the year 1852 by J. Biddle who afterward sold out to Stephen Maegerlein. Maegerlein also erected a steam grist mill, which was in operation until 1880. It passed through the hands of men named Drake and Jones until being bought by William Royer. Royer operated the mill and eventually replaced it with a modern one. Planing mills and a shingle machine operated at various times, and a spoke factory was started in the year 1881 by Silas Harrison. Messrs. Craft & Coats operated a tannery which was purchased in 1873 by Lewis Gecklor.
On July 28, 1926, a fire started in a barn about midnight. The entire business section of the town was destroyed, with damages in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The losses included the Patricksburg bank, the Bayh Hardware store, Rea's restaurant, two general stores, a drug store, the Redmen's hall and Odd Fellows' building; two butcher shops, groceries and furniture stores. Fire companies from Brazil, Clay City, and Spencer responded and pumped the gristmill pond dry before the fire could be put out.
Other merchants who did business in the village during the early days of its history were Black & Harrison, A. M. Manning, John Travis, Dr. Dean. J. B. Hoffman, and John Hochstettler. Other businessmen in operation included: Royer & Haas, general store; Coats & Schmaltz, general stock; Williams & Drake, drugs; L. F. Lautenschlager, drug store; Fred Schmaltz and Henry Shopper, grocery stores; Martha Harstine, millinery store; Merrell & Beatty, hardware; Gottlieb Keiser, a man named Harris, Christopher Weber and Jacob Rentsler, blacksmiths; George Keiser and Christopher Rentsler, wagon makers; John C. McGill and Joseph Zinkler, cabinet makers. Doctors: Hunt, R. B. McAlister, Lewis Red, William Williams, J. B. Hoffman, Robert Black, Samuel Richards, John Williams, John Sloan, and L. Mullenix.
