A Brief History

of

BROWNSBURG, INDIANA  

        James B. Brown settled in Brown Township in 1824 thus becoming Brownsburg’s first settler.  The area was dense and unbroken wilderness with only hunters and trappers in the area.  Delaware Indians lived in what is now called Lincoln Township, along White Lick Creek, which was then called “Wa-pe-ke-way” or “White Salt”.

            In 1828, the first log school house was built in Brown Township.  One room brick schools were built every four miles.  Everyone in the family except the mothers went to school when it was not crop season.  The age range in the classroom was from six years to forty-three years.   Brown Township was divided in 1863, becoming Brown Township to the North, named after its first resident, who was originally from Kentucky.  Lincoln Township was created to the South, being named after President Lincoln as a sign of support during the Civil War.   A stagecoach line was established along a road built in 1820 connecting all of the small outlying communities with Indianapolis. William Harris settled in the area North of what is now Main Street, selling sections of woods to incoming pioneers which gave the town its original name of Harrisburg in 1835. A post office was established in 1836 under the name of Harrisburg, but was later changed to Brownsburg since the name Harrisburg was being used by a post office in another Indiana County.   The first church building to be erected in Brownsburg was a log structure built in 1840.  From the 1840’s to the 1870’s, the town almost tripled in size, from its original six acres to more than sixteen acres.  1848 brought the area’s first election with a total of ten male votes cast.

In 1869, the Big Four Railroad opened service to Brownsburg.  By 1910, the Interurban was making daily trips between Indianapolis and Crawfordsville with scheduled hourly stops in Brownsburg. 

            In 1917, Superintendent of Schools Sylvester Moore and his wife were instrumental in forming Brownsburg’s first public library, funded by local gifts as well as a $12,500 gift from Carnegie Corporation.  This building served as the Brownsburg Police Department headquarters for several years and is currently the Chamber of Commerce offices. The first two-story schoolhouse was built in 1917 on College Avenue.  Later a gym was added to the site and was one of gymnasiums used for the filming of the movie “Hoosiers”.

            In the 1950’s, a roller skating tent was placed on school property.  Little league sports and high school sporting activities began.  The late 1950’s saw the first high school erected.  It was during this time the first shopping area was established on the East edge of the Town.

            Brownsburg is proud to sustain over forty civic organizations with local and national affiliations, thirty churches of varying denominations, two community theatre troupes, carnivals, celebrations and several area parks.

            Two of the last three years Brownsburg Little League baseball teams have made it to the World Series.

            The 2000 census had the population of Brownsburg to be slightly over 14,500 people.  Brownsburg is ideally located just fifteen miles from the Indianapolis International Airport and has seven universities within convenient driving distance. 

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