Indians Once Roamed Area At Abingdon
Abingdon was born in 1836, and became a city in 1857, but the area was inhabited countless years before these dates by the Indians. Where Abingdon now stands, members of the Kickapoo, Pottawatomie, Fox and Sac tribes once roamed, pitching wigwams, stalking deer and raising their crops of corn and beans. Chief Shaubena, head of the Pottawatomie tribe, was probably the most illustrious of the Indians. An enterprising, intelligent leader, he was respected by both Indians and white men. Camp Shaubena, on the shores of Lake Bracken, now bears the name of the chief. Little or no warfare between the Indians and the early white settlers was ever recorded, but the Indian in this area was already almost gone. Knox County at that time boasted several important Indian trails. One ran diagonally from northeast to southwest through the southern part of what is now the city of Abingdon. This was one of the most important routes between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. Another widely used trail was located a few mile east of Abingdon, and was used on trips from Peoria to Galena. Even today, farmers in the area occasionally unearth implement used by the Indians in their work or in their hunting. Arrow heads, stone scrapers, pottery, hoes and many other artifacts left years ago by the Red Man now grace many a collector's shelf.
 
 Abraham D. Swarts, who traveled to Illinois from his home in Hartford County, Md., in 1821, was almost single-handedly responsible for establishing Abingdon. The pioneer first settled near Walnut Hill, in Jefferson County. Then eight years later, he moved to what is now Monmouth, and in August 1829 he settled on a farm about three miles north of the present site of Abingdon. He lived at that location four years, and in 1833 he settled on what is now the site of the Abingdon Cemetery. He purchased the south half of section 33, which extended to the Indian Point Township. Then on May 27, 1836, Abingdon was founded. Lays Out Village Swartz laid out the original 16 blocks of the village of Abingdon on that date, and certified the survey on the records of Knox County, calling the plat the "original town of Abingdon." But Abingdon was not Abingdon on the records of the United States Post Office for almost 15 years. Swarts located the post office just across the street from the edge of his new town, and was appointed postmaster of Oregon, Knox County, III., by Amos Kendall, postmaster general of the United States, on June 30, 1837. Oregon, however, consisted only of his building and post office. Two years later, Swarts officially changed the post office name to Hartford. The reason for this move was obvious. Swarts was born in Hartford County, Md. The settlement actually continued as Hartford for 13 years, as settlers continued to pour in from the east.