In 1915, the YMCA was constructed and became the community center, providing a gymnasium and swimming pool. In addition to transportation advances, leisure time began to play a larger role in society. Interurban was used by businessmen going to work, farmers sending livestock to the stockyards, and people wanting to visit Indianapolis to shop, attend the theater or visit family and friends. Interurban service began in 1907 and linked Greensburg to Indianapolis. However, it was also during this time that the industry began to move to the outskirts of town or along the railroad tracks.Īlthough Greensburg went through many changes between 19, the downtown reached its maturity during this time period. Lower stories of these buildings would be rented to merchants and the upper stories would be used for their meeting spaces. Fraternal organizations, such as Elks, Odd Fellows, and Knights of Pythias, were popular and would construct commercial blocks downtown. It was also during this period, in 1874, that Greensburg constructed its first City Hall. Prior to the Civil War, the lawn was used for soldiers from the county entering the Union Army to practice drills and remained a place for veterans after the war ended to sing war songs, listen to patriotic speeches and reminisce with one another. The courthouse lawn in particular was often a scene for community gatherings. Abraham Lincoln chose Greensburg as one of his few stops en route to his inauguration in 1861. In the years between 18, Greensburg prospered as the center for commerce, political and cultural activity. Since approximately 1870, a Mulberry tree has thrived atop the clock tower, giving Greensburg world-wide recognition and the name “Tree City.” It was completed in 1860, just as the Civil War was commencing. May was awarded the contract to construct the Romanesque Revival building that we know today. That same year, the courthouse was torn down and Indianapolis architect Edwin G. In 1854, the citizens decided to incorporate as a city and construct a new, grander courthouse. Louis Railroad was completed in 1853. The railroad connected Greensburg and Decatur County to distant markets and downtown establishments such as hotels, restaurants, dry goods, textiles, and professional practices thrived. For the next sixteen years, Greensburg grew slowly due to the poor condition of Michigan Road, which was the primary means of transportation to the larger world.įollowing the pattern of many Indiana towns, development within the community boomed after the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and St. By 1837, there were enough people to incorporate Greensburg as a town. The original two-story brick courthouse was constructed in the center of the courthouse lawn in 1827. The jail sat on the west side of the courthouse lawn from 1823 – 1832. The first public building erected in Greensburg was the county jail. All government buildings, stores, and homes were constructed of logs. On September 1, 1822, lots were officially for sale and development began. The Board of Commissioners met regularly at the home of Thomas Hendricks and platted the layout of the community. Hendricks and her four pleasant daughters), and on June 14, 1822, the official name of the county seat was chosen and would forevermore be known as Greensburg, Indiana. The decision was made (possibly through influence from Mrs. It was proposed to leave the question to a vote of the seventeen young men who came to this locality with Thomas Hendricks from Pennsylvania. When the Board of Commissioners was appointed by the legislature to select the location for a new county seat, the question of the name of the town came up. She desired the town should be called “Greensburg,” in memory of her hometown in Pennsylvania. Hendricks used one hundred acres of this land to plat the town of Greensburg.Īs local lore tells, the name of the town came from Mrs. The following year, Decatur County was created by the General Assembly and named after Commodore Stephen Decatur, a naval hero from the War of 1812. In 1818, the federal government acquired large tracts of land from the Delaware Indian Tribe via the signing of a treaty known as the New Purchase. Colonel Thomas Hendricks was among the first to purchase some of this land and acquired four eighty-acre tracts in 1820.
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