Brownsburg

By Linda Lichte Cook

Take a fascinating journey through the history of Brownsburg, Indiana with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

In 1835, William Harris sectioned off his land--the area now known as Main and Green Streets in Brownsburg--for the purpose of establishing a town.

Harris used beech trees, elm trees, and hickory stumps to define the town's boundaries; he called it Harrisburg. The name Harrisburg was already in use elsewhere in Indiana, so Brownsburg, which paid homage to early settler James B. Brown, was selected as an alternative. Brownsburg's railroad station, located between Indianapolis and Crawfordsville, positioned the farming community for dramatic growth. As new settlers arrived, new businesses, mills, and factories also began to open. Today, Brownsburg continues to grow, and the community is known for its engineering and racing industries and its first-rate schools.

Join author Linda Lichte Cook, a longtime resident of Brownsburg maintains the digital archives of images and historic documents known as the Brownsburg Then and Now/Indiana Memory Project as she showcases her town's rich history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Jul 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781439652428

Linda Lichte Cook

Linda Lichte Cook is a longtime resident of Brownsburg who works at the Brownsburg Public Library in information services and local history. She has a master's degree in education and a certificate in genealogical research and is a member of the Society of Indiana Archivists and the National Genealogical Society. Cook happily maintains the digital archives of images and historic documents known as the Brownsburg Then and Now/Indiana Memory Project, from which the majority of photographs in this book were selected.

Book preview

collection.

INTRODUCTION

This is not a history book. It is a photo album full of history, and I have come to realize, hoping the reader does as well, the magnitude of what our predecessors accomplished.

It must have initially seemed like a lonely and intimidating location to plan a life. When James B. Brown arrived in the area now known as Lincoln Township, in Hendricks County, Indiana, around 1824 there were few if any known settlers to the west and north of him. Most of the area was covered in water at least part of the year. Yet, he stayed, and the township at the time was named Brown after him, and rightly so, considering he had the foresight to see past what was, to what would be. Eventually, there would be no area remaining that would remind anyone of how the land used to be. The swamps were drained and the forests cut down, making way for fields of grass and grain.

In 1828, the Crawfordsville Road, US 136, was not much more than a path or rudimentary road cut through the wilderness. In 1832, a stagecoach line was established along this road to connect the travel from Indianapolis to Crawfordsville. When William Harris arrived, that was likely a deciding factor in his selection of a place to plan his town. It would be the perfect location to offer respite on the long stagecoach journey between the two locations and a profitable one as well. So he proceeded and platted out the land in 1835 and named it after himself, Harrisburg. It was later changed to Brownsburg when the post office was established, avoiding confusion with another Harrisburg, and paying homage to early settler James B. Brown. Benjamin M. Logan was the first postmaster and store merchant, and amazingly enough, he is still here buried in Lingeman Cemetery. The area to become Brownsburg would draw the attention of many pioneer families seeking a place to call home.

Brown Township was the original township. It engulfed all of the land now known as Brown and Lincoln Townships, but in 1863, Brown Township was separated into two parts. When the Civil War draft came in 1863 it was discovered that the southern half of the township was more Republican and the northern more Democratic. A division was favored and granted by the Commissioners, and Lincoln Township was formed.

The railroad came later in 1869 and would continue to change the shape of the town as factories, mills, population, and prosperity grew. It brought with it shipments of stock, lumber, flour, and other necessities.

Around this time, churches and schools were founded. Men and women of faith gathered initially in homes until log structures and then more modern buildings could be built. The community would not be what it is today if not for the churches and people of faith; those strong citizens of the early years whose determination for establishing values and building a town upon them made the town grow because they wanted a better place for families. The schools started in much the same way, from the gathering of these families who wanted more for their children. They went from one-room schoolhouses scattered about the townships to organized schools built in town. In 1899, the first two-story schoolhouse opened on the corner of School Street and College Avenue, and the schools of today carry on the legacy.

The hope is that this book will pique people’s interest in Brownsburg’s history. Someone discovers a tidbit here, someone finds a photograph there, and soon, a clearer picture of the past has been assembled. History and information are not items to be possessive of; they are something to share. The key is getting the information assembled in a central location, like a library, for future generations to access.

I have tried to be as historically accurate as possible, and I have gathered numerous documents to support what I can. I have searched and have endeavored to use original source documentation.

This is a collection of photographs that I hope you have not seen in a while or have never seen. It is a small representation of the over 1,000 photographs that are currently housed in the Brownsburg Then and Now digital collection. The photographs have been donated over the years by organizations, businesses, and patrons who all have the same desire to preserve our past. There was no guideline or criteria. It was not my intent to exclude or omit any person, place, or thing. The truth is that it was very difficult to pick out photographs and leave some behind. Some photographs were left behind simply because there was no information to corroborate them. That is where the public comes in and can help identify and preserve the history. In the end, the criteria became what brings smiles, laughs, and remembrance.

My hope is that the public will want to view the rest of the photographs in the library collection, online at Brownsburg Then and Now, part of the Indiana Memory Collection. It is an honor for the town to be a part of this collection. The hope is also, that others will donate photographs or scans of photographs for the future generations. Brownsburg deserves to have its history preserved, and there is history out there that we can add. The following quote from an 1889 article in the Brownsburg Record sums the book’s goal up well: "It is altogether too pretty a town to be permitted to go into decay. It is the unavoidable duty of