Old Avalon
In modern Avalon, the term Old Avalon refers to the four central buildings -- Avalon Village Public Library, AV General Store, AV Emergency Services, the chapel -- as well as 'the strip,' the old shops that divide the main road on the eastern end of the village. These, and a few portions of the foundation of the original settlement's wall, are all that remain of the original settlement, Sanctus Michael Ignatius.
Demographics
At the time of it's disappearence, the village was an almost even mix of Jesuit missionaries, European colonists, Indians (Delaware and Shawnee), and free Black people.
What is most interesting and, perhaps most telling, is that based on the scant historical documents available, and predominantly through the oral history of the Delaware people themselves, the predominant religious -- or rather, spiritual -- views of the village became less Catholic and much more animist after the ways of the Delaware.
Defences
One of the few original pieces of Sanctus Michael Ignatius are a few of the earthen mounds that once served as the footer of a wooden wall that stood around the core of the village, while 'the strip' remained outside the wall.
Industry & Trade
French fur traders were the first Europeans in the area, accompanied by Jesuit missionaries. They traveled with Indians being forced out of the rich forests of their ancestral "New England" homelands. It didn't take long for a group to fall in love with the scenic vistas of what would become Brown County State Park.
In this rich heartland, they found good soil for farming, thick forests for lumber, and rivers and streams teeming with fish. There were white-tailed deer, bever, possum, raccoon, and foxes to be had for their meat and fur.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
1720
Founding Date
1717
Alternative Name(s)
Sanctus Michael Ignatius
Population
144 at time of disappearence
Location under
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