After bouncing between nine different cities in the years following the nation’s founding on July 4, 1776, the United States’ capital finally settled into its permanent home in Washington, D.C. on December 1, 1800.

That same year, Indiana gained the first of its three capitals at a former French trading post near the site of a pivotal battle in the Revolutionary War.

The journey of Indiana’s seat of government from Vincennes to Indianapolis via a stop in Corydon reflects the growth of the state in the early years of the nation’s history.

Founded by French explorers in 1732, Vincennes was Indiana’s first permanent European settlement. France ceded control to the British in 1763, who built Fort Sackville in 1777 to protect the Western front during the Revolutionary War. Americans took over the fort in 1778, but lost it to the British a few months later.

Then in 1779, Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark successfully led a daring expedition 180 miles across the flooded plains from Kaskaskia, Illinois, to recapture Fort Sackville for the United States and secure the area that would later become the Northwest Territory.

In 1800, Congress carved out the western portion of the Northwest Territory to create the new Indiana Territory which encompassed Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and parts of Michigan. Vincennes was named the capital of the Indiana Territory.

By 1810, the size of the Indiana Territory had shrunk to the state’s current boundaries. Lawmakers sought to move the territorial capital to a new location in the southeastern part of the state where the center of population had shifted. Madison, Charlestown, Lawrenceburg, Clarksville and Jeffersonville were all in the running for the prized seat of government, but Corydon eventually won out in 1813 because of its centralized location and its new limestone courthouse that would make an ideal site for the legislature to meet.

After serving three years as the territorial capital, Corydon became the first official state capital when Indiana was granted statehood in 1816. Under the state constitution this was a temporary arrangement that would end in 1825 when a permanent state capital would be established on land the federal government had donated.

In 1820, a group of commissioners met at William Conner’s house near Noblesville to begin their search for a new capital that would be carved out of the wilderness. Two sites landed on their short list – a well-known waystation for travelers on the bluffs of the White River in present-day Morgan County and a small pioneer settlement at the confluence of the White River and Fall Creek. The latter was approved by the commissioners on June 7, 1820 partly because they mistakenly believed that the White River was deep enough to serve as a major artery for commercial shipping.

The General Assembly approved the commissioners’ recommendation on January 6, 1821. After rejecting “Tecumseh” and “Suwarrow,” lawmakers named the new capital “Indianapolis,” for city of Indiana. Because most of its residents were sick with malaria during the summer of 1821, the city’s first Fourth of July celebration was held in 1822. The entire town was invited, and a freshly killed buck was barbecued in the middle of Washington Street. Near the end of the day and after much alcohol was consumed, pioneer leader Calvin Fletcher offered the following toast: “Indianapolis. May it not prove itself unworthy of the honor the state has conferred upon it by making it her seat of government.”

As it turned out, however, being designated the state capital and becoming the state capital were two different things. The Indiana General Assembly needed to pass legislation to relocate state government from Corydon to Indianapolis, but southern Indiana lawmakers balked at relinquishing their power base. And so the nascent city of Indianapolis lacked representation in the General Assembly until 1823. Finally in January 1824, state lawmakers authorized the move and later that year the official relocation began.

On a sunny day in October 1824, a small wagon train led by State Treasurer Samuel Merrill left Corydon to begin the arduous journey through the backwoods to Indianapolis. A large covered wagon carried important state documents and a strong box containing the state treasury.

As later recounted by Merrill’s son, the party made quite an impression when it reached Indianapolis after 11 days on the road.

Feeling like this was the proudest day of his life, the wagon driver decked out the horses with sleigh bells as they approached the city and asked a man who passed them on horseback to ride forward and let the townspeople know that the seat of government was coming.

According to Samuel Merrill, Jr.’s account, “At the word, out poured most of the five hundred inhabitants – boys, girls, men and women – to see a sight that will never again be seen in Indiana.”

The capital had finally arrived.

Libby Cierzniak is a retired attorney who has written extensively about Indianapolis history for HistoricIndianapolis.com and in her own blog, Indypolitan.com. She is a frequent guest on Hoosier History Live and a regular contributor to Retro Indy. Contact her via Indypolitan.com.

The warden of an Indiana prison that serves as one of the Midwest’s largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers has departed his role as head of the maximum security facility.

Brian English, who ran Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, announced his exit on LinkedIn.

“After much reflection, I’ve decided to take the next step in my career and will be transitioning out of my role at the Miami Correctional Facility,” he wrote. “Closing this chapter has reminded me just how much can change when a team decides to move forward together.”

English’s announcement described the prison as a “difficult place” recovering from lockdowns, strained community relations and severe staffing shortages when he first took over in October 2022.

“Over the past three years and nine months, we’ve strengthened operations of a maximum-security prison, with a minimum-security unit, infirmary unit and a newly opened 1,000‑bed ICE detention facility,” he wrote. “We rebuilt community relations, expanded partnerships with law enforcement and Grissom Air Force Base, doubled volunteer engagement, grew programming, and improved staffing and retention in meaningful ways.”

English confirmed in a telephone call to IndyStar that Friday, June 26, was his last day on the job.

“I no longer work there,” he said via phone. “I don’t really have any comment about it. I’m just taking some time off, and I’ll be pursuing other opportunities.”

When asked if he was leaving on his own or had forced out, English told IndyStar the decision was “totally his decision.”

“That’s all I’m going to really comment about,” he said. “It was my decision to go.”

The prison, which Trump administration officials nicknamed the “Speedway Slammer” despite local protestations, has continued to suffer from serious problems during English’s tenure. An IndyStar investigation found that violence and drug use were rampant at the facility before it began accepting ICE detainees in October.

Last summer, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that the prison would become an ICE detention site, housing up to 1,000 detainees, as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration. Two detainees have since died at the facility, which as of last month housed more than 600 immigration detainees in addition to about 1,800 state prisoners.

Concerns about conditions at the prison have prompted calls to shut down ICE detention at the facility from U.S. Rep. André Carson, faith leaders and civil liberty advocates. They say detainees have complained of inadequate medical care, inconsistent food service and difficulties maintaining their hygiene.

More: Congressman calls for investigation of Indiana ICE detainee deaths

Although state officials have said the arrangement with ICE will be profitable, delayed payments from the federal government have resulted in expenditures exceeding revenue. Prison officials have said they expect that to change as the arrangement continues.

It’s unclear who will run the prison in the interim or if a new warden has been identified. The Indiana Department of Correction did not immediately respond to an IndyStar inquiry about English’s departure. Neither did ICE.

Contact IndyStar investigative reporter Alexandria Burris at aburris@indystar.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @allyburris and on Bluesky at‪@allymburris.bsky.social‬.

INDIANA (WPTA) – The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Indiana State Police are addressing online rumors about the BMV’s new license plate design.

The BMV says that when they post about the Blackout plates on their social media accounts, they receive comments claiming the design makes it easier for plate recognition cameras, like Flock, to read.

WATCH: Fort Wayne Flock camera showdown reflects nationwide debate | Story continues below