The following collection of essays began as a series of feature articles published in the Monticello Indiana Herald Journal newspaper. The purpose of these articles was to provide readers with a basic knowledge of Indiana's pre-statehood history. This book is dedicated to my father with special thanks to Mr. Kean McCowen of the White County Indiana Historical Association and the Monticello Herald Journal. From the Mound Builders through the French, British, and U.S. Territorial governments, "The Nineteenth Star" presents a chronological account of pivotal events and characters in Indiana's early history. Illustrated with maps and portraits of the era it will allow you to dazzle your friends and family during the upcoming bicentennial celebrations with your knowledge of men like Jonathan Jennings, Indiana's first Governor of State, or place names like Kekionga, the Native village that was the forerunner of today's Fort Wayne Indiana, and the first time the word Indiana appeared on a map (this one may really surprise you).