A ford and trading post made Peoria a convenient stop for people between the nearby communities of Peru, Wabash and Marion.

Hahn and his wife Anna lost their firstborn son in the area of Pucker Brush and decided to stay.

In 1962, the Army Corps of Engineers began the Mississinewa Lake Dam project and moved the church and cemetery about 1/4 mile.

The reservoir is still a year-round attraction for hunters and fishermen and a summer draw for boaters, swimmers, campers and hikers.

Other area attractions include the Frances Slocum Burial Site and Cemetery (a Miami Indian shrine), the Chief Richardville home, the Peru Circus Hall of Fame, Cole Porter's family farm, the "Old Fashioned Garden" (popularized by Cole Porter) and Seven Pillars.