1995 HALL OF FAME WINNER Colonel John Johnston (1775-1861) Johnston immigrated to the United States from Ireland settling in Pennsylvania. Coming to Piqua from the Fort Wayne Indian Agency in 1811, he served as the Federal Indian Agent on his farm at Upper Piqua until 1829. He was instrumental in organizing the Peal Council of Piqua that kept the Native American tribes in the Ohio country neutral during the War of 1812. He served as an Ohio State Canal Commissioner (1825-1836) and promoted Piqua as a canal port and toll office. Johnston also served as the first president of the Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio, a member of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture, and a founder of Piqua’s St. James Episcopal Church.