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| A Day in Indiana History - April |
The dream of establishing a purely Moravian church community motivated Reverend Martin Hauser and his family to leave Salem, North Carolina in late 1829 and move to the Indiana frontier. A few friends and family members accompanied the Hauser family. Members of the Provincial Helpers Conference of the Moravian Church in Salem had promised to provide Hauser with the funds to purchase land to establish a Moravian town and church in Indiana after he had proved his intentions worthy by building a cabin. He, his brother and several others left Salem on September 28, 1829. After a month's travel the band reached Columbus, Indiana.
Building the Cabin
Bitter weather and sickness delayed Martin delayed the cabin's completion until early March. Hauser mailed a letter to the Moravians in North Carolina that his cabin was complete and he was ready to establish the town. The money slated for the purchase of the land arrived in early April and on April 5, 1830 he sent a messenger to Indianapolis to purchase the land.
Goshen, then Hope
The setters established the town, calling it Goshen. When the town applied for a post office in 1834, they changed the name to Hope because Indiana already had a town named Goshen.
Moravian Church
The Moravians are one of the oldest Protestant Christian churches in the world, dating from about 1457 in Bohemia. Reformer Jan Hus disagreed with several practices in the Catholic Church and started the Hussite movement that evolved into the Moravian Church. In 1722 members of the church fled to Saxony to escape religious persecution. They established a settlement in Germany called Herrnhut. From this village the Moravians started the first international missionary movement, establishing settlements in many countries.
Hope, Indiana is located on Indiana State Road 9 about seven miles north of its intersection with Indiana State Road 46. The town is northeast of Columbus, Indiana. For more information about the town's history, events, dining, shopping and attractions visit:
Visitor Information Center
645 Harrison Street
Hope, In 47246-1203
812-546-7038
Email: MEAlbert@hopeinfocenter.com
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