In the Vigo County Courthouse belfry hangs a 2-ton bell, a gift to the citizens of Vigo County from a donor who played an important role in the Indiana Territory during and after the Revolutionary War. Vigo County was named in honor of this patriot in 1818. Our Historical Treasure this week is a replica of this bell, on display in the County History Exhibit at the Vigo County Historical Museum.

Born Giuseppe Maria Francesco Vigo in 1747 in Mondovì, Italy, Frances Vigo was a soldier of fortune, coming to America about 1772 as part of the Spanish Army stationed in New Orleans. His Italian surname is pronounced “VEE-goh.” He established a successful fur trading post in St. Louis, but at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, he joined the American cause, traveled to Indiana as an informant for George Rogers Clark, and obtained military information on the British campaigns.