Town file
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes, Indiana (Knox County, Indiana) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 151, "The Panhandle Samurai" (26 December 2019). Vincennes, Indiana, is a small city in Knox County in the south-west corner of the state, on the lower Wabash River, about two and a quarter hours from Indianapolis and three hours from Louisville.
- Town
- Vincennes
- County
- Knox County
- State
- Indiana
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 151
- Approximate location
- 38.677, -87.510
Episode 151 / 26 December 2019 / 147 min / full
The Panhandle Samurai
"It's Vincennes, Indiana. It's in Southwest Indiana, right on the edge of the panhandle there." about 0:05:44
The case: Murder of Allison Rinch (November 2007); Samurai sword attack on Officer Terry Stremming (September 14, 1998). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2019
- Population
- 17,944
- Median age
- 34
- Median household income
- $36,000
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $719
- Cost of living
- about 70
- Religious
- about 47%
- Property crime
- ▲ double
- Violent crime
- ▼ about half
History, in brief
- Native Americans inhabited the area for thousands of years and used it as a giant burial site. about 0:08:52
- The first European settlers were French, which is where the name Vincennes comes from. about 0:09:25
- In 1702, 35 Canadians formed a company trading post to trade buffalo hides with the native people. about 0:10:08
- In its first two years the trading post collected over 13,000 buffalo hides. about 0:10:28
- Vincennes is the oldest European town in Indiana, established in 1732. about 0:10:55
- France lost the French and Indian War, part of the Seven Years' War, and gave the area to the British. about 0:11:30
- British Lieutenant John Ramsey arrived in 1766, built a fort and named it Fort Sackville. about 0:12:47
- After the American Revolution the Americans took control of the area. about 0:14:08
- In 1786 Captain John Harden led a mounted Kentucky militia across the Ohio River and destroyed a friendly Native American village. about 0:14:18
- In July 1786 the Wabash Indians landed in 47 war canoes and drove the Americans back to Kentucky. about 0:15:14
- Vincennes became part of Knox County and later part of the Indiana Territory. about 0:16:30
- Vincennes was the capital of Indiana from 1800 to 1813, when the government moved to Corydon. about 0:16:36
- The town has its own flag covered in fleur-de-lis. about 0:17:09
- Vincennes has been in three different time zones since 1918. about 0:18:10
- Vincennes is located on the lower Wabash River in south-western Indiana. about 0:08:31
- The town's motto is Indiana's first city. about 0:07:54
The reviews read out
1 star
"A lifelong resident says there is nothing to do, low-paying jobs and too much fast food, and asks to be let out."about 0:18:43
"Titled Vincennes Blows, it says the town has stayed small and decaying with backward leaders, poor schools and no opportunity for young people."about 0:19:45
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Cynthiana, Indiana35 miles
- Middlebury, Indiana46 miles
- Eldorado, Illinois78 miles
- Brandenburg, Kentucky86 miles
- Madisonville, Kentucky92 miles
- Columbus, Indiana93 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.