A Year of Indiana History - 2016 |
The
Indiana Historical Bureau has installed a historical marker in Marion
County
that addresses the Brookville
Road .
Location:
Installed by:
Installed:
2004 Indiana
Historical Bureau, Environmental Law
& Policy Center
of the Midwest ,
and Southeast Civic Association
Marker ID #:
ID#
: 49.2004.1
Marker Text:
Side one:
On
December 31,
1821 , a 78-mile state road was
authorized from the Ohio
border to Indianapolis
through Brookville, to be built with required citizen labor. Commissioners
filed a survey report June
24, 1822 for the Brookville
State Road . On January 24, 1828 ,
a turnpike company was authorized to build an improved road by bidding out
sections.
Side two:
Brief History By the Author
The
road, authorized by the State Legislature on December 31, 1821 ,
construction of the road commenced in 1828. Most of the road still exists as US
52. This road has been straightened and widened over the years, however orphan
sections still survive.
Brookville
Surveyor
Thomas Manwarring plated Brookville on August 8, 1808 .
Two men, Amos Butler and Jesse Brooks Thomas, owned the land the town occupied.
Amos Butler
Amos
was the first person to register a deed for land in this beautiful spot between
the East and West forks of the Whitewater
River .
He recorded his deed in 1804 and became the first documented settler of the
town. Butler
provided the greater part of the funds for the town.
Jesse Brooks Thomas
Thomas
was the other landowner in town and named the town Brooks, his mother's maiden
name. The name in the beginning was Brooksville, but over time, the name was
shortened to Brookville.
Brookville
The
town became the county seat of Franklin
County
in 1811. Growth was slow until the government opened the United States Land
Office in the town in 1825. The town went into a slump when the office moved to
Indianapolis
in 1835. The Whitewater
Canal
opened in 1839, provided a temporary boost to the town, and attracted many new
businesses. Because of its location
between the two branches of the Whitewater
River ,
the town was subject to frequent floods. The construction of the Brookville Dam
and Reservoir has alleviated this problem, as well as providing an economic
boost to the town from the recreational opportunities provided by the
reservoir.
For more information on Brookville
and Franklin County dining, lodging, canoeing and
shopping, visit:
Email: Info@Franklincountyin.Com
Excerpted
from the author’s book:
A Year of Indiana History - 2016
@indianatreker
@MossyFeetBooks
@MossyFeetBooks
© Paul Wonning
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