Corydon, in a valley between Big Indian and Little Indian creeks, figured centrally in the early history of Indiana. The land was purchased in 1804 by William Henry Harrison, then governor of the Indiana Territory, and sold to Harvey Heth, who platted Corydon in 1808. Harrison suggested the town's name after a character in his favorite song, The Pastoral Elegy. The Ordinance of 1785 established the division of land into townships six miles square, divided into 36 equal sections, with Section 16 reserved to support public schools, and this section and township numbering system remains in use. The Northwest Ordinance, enacted by Congress in 1787, set out how states could be formed from the Northwest Territory. In 1803, the eastern part became Ohio, while the western part was organized as the Indiana Territory with Vincennes as its capital. When the territory reached a population of 5,000 white men in 1805, its people elected a House of Representatives. Jonathan Jennings, one of the territorial congressmen, petitioned the 1811 Congress for an enabling act for Indiana statehood, but because of the War of 1812 the petition was not granted until 1816, when delegates were chosen for a constitutional convention at Corydon. Corydon had become the territorial capital in 1813 because it was closer to the homes of many Hoosiers who opposed the governor and his supporters. Indiana entered the Union on December 11, 1816, and Jonathan Jennings became its first governor. Corydon remained the capital until 1825, when the seat of government moved to Indianapolis. The town still has many buildings from its years as capital, including the original capitol building, a limestone structure with walls two and a half feet thick and a stone floor, as well as the Governor's Headquarters and the state's first treasury building. Most of downtown Corydon is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.