New Albany is a city in Floyd County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, United States, situated along the Ohio River, opposite

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

. The population was 37,841 as of the 2020 census. The city is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Floyd County. It is bounded by I-265 to the north and the Ohio River to the south, and is considered part of the

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. The mayor of New Albany is Jeff Gahan, a Democrat; he was re-elected in 2019.

History

Early history

The land of New Albany was officially granted to the United States after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

. The territory had been captured by George Rogers Clark in 1779. For his services Clark was awarded large tracts of land in Southern Indiana including most of Floyd County. After the war Clark sold and distributed some of his land to his fellow soldiers. The area of New Albany ended up in the possession of Col. John Paul. New Albany was founded in July 1813 when three brothers from New York —Joel, Abner, and Nathaniel Scribner—arrived at the Falls of the Ohio and named the site after the city of

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Ci ...

. They purchased the land from Col. John Paul. New Albany was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted by John Graham on the land owned by the Scribner brothers. In 1814 Joel and Mary Scribner built their home in New Albany; the Scribner House still stands today. New Albany was incorporated as a town in 1817 as part of Clark County. In 1819, three years after Indiana was admitted as a state, New Albany became the seat of government for newly established Floyd County. A courthouse was finally built in 1824. New Albany grew rapidly and was the largest city in Indiana from 1816 until 1860 when overtaken by Indianapolis. Before the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

, over half of Hoosiers worth over $100,000 lived in New Albany, making it by far the wealthiest part of the state. The steamboat industry was the engine of the city's economy during the mid-19th century. Fueled by abundant forests for lumber, at least a half-dozen shipbuilders were in operation and turned out a multitude of steamboats and packet boats, including the ''

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

'', '' Eliza Battle'', the ''Eclipse'', and the ''A.A. Shotwell''. Shipbuilding was accompanied by a wide range of ancillary business including machine shops, foundries, cabinet and furniture factories, and silversmith shops. Its second largest business was the American Plate Glass Works. In 1847 the city was connected to the port at Michigan City, Indiana on

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that ...

via the Monon railroad. In 1853 the New Albany High School opened, the first public high school in the state. The original school was built at the corner of West First Street and Spring Street. New Albany would also be the first in the state to create a consolidated school district several years later. Ashbel P. Willard, governor of the state of Indiana, dedicated the Floyd County Fairgrounds in 1859. That year, the Indiana State Fair was held in New Albany. During the Civil War, the fairgrounds were converted to become Camp Noble and used as a muster point for the area's regiments.

Civil War

During the Civil War New Albany served as both a supply center for Union troops and as a medical care center for wounded soldiers. Up to 1,500 wounded soldiers were treated in New Albany during the war, many non-medical buildings were converted into makeshift hospitals. In 1862,

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

established one of the first seven

national cemeteries The following is a partial list of prominent National Cemeteries: Africa Algeria * El Alia Cemetery, Algiers Burundi * Mausolée des Martyrs de la Démocratie, Bujumbura Ghana * Asomdwee Park, Accra * Burma Camp Military Cemetery, Accra ...

in New Albany for burying the many war dead. Despite the ongoing war, a new courthouse was built in 1865 which was used until the 1960s when the current City-County courthouse was constructed, also the first in Indiana. Downtown New Albany

The

Town Clock Church The Town Clock Church, now the Second Baptist Church of New Albany, Indiana, United States, is a historic church located at 300 East Main Street, within the New Albany Downtown Historic District. It was constructed in 1852 as Second Presbyt ...

, now the Second Baptist Church, was used as the New Albany stop in the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

. The original steeple was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1915 and a new replica steeple wasn't completed until 101 years later in 2016. NACemetery

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

the trade with the South dwindled, as New Albany was boycotted by both sides, by Confederates because it was in a Union state and by the North because it was considered as too friendly to the South. Indianapolis overtook New Albany as Indiana's largest city in 1860 and across the river Louisville's population grew much faster, New Albany never regained its original stature. The once robust steamboat industry ended by 1870, with the last steamboat built in New Albany named, appropriately, the ''

''. During the second half of the 19th century, New Albany experienced an industrial boom despite the collapse of the steamboat industry. The advent of the railroad created economic opportunity for the city as a pork packing and locomotive repair center. A bridge was built across the Ohio River in 1886 providing a rail and road connection with Kentucky. American Plate Glass Works opened in 1865 which employed as many as 2,000 workers. When the factory relocated in 1893 New Albany lost a large part of its population and went into economic decline.

20th century

In the early 20th century, New Albany became a center of plywood and veneer, and its largest employer was the New Albany Veneering Company. By 1920, New Albany was the largest producer of plywood and veneer in the world with other producers including Indiana Veneer Panel Company and Hoosier Panel Company. On March 23, 1917, a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, alt ...

struck the north side of New Albany, killing at least 46 people.

Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70 in Missouri, I-70, U.S. Route 40 in Missouri, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61 in Missouri, ...

was built through New Albany in 1961 and led to the construction of the Sherman Minton Bridge. The project cost $14.8 million. The bridge was named for US Senator and later Supreme Court Justice Sherman Minton, who was a native of nearby Georgetown and practiced law in New Albany. The bridge was named the "most beautiful long-span bridge of 1961" by the American Institute of Steel Construction.

Education innovation

Charles A. Prosser Charles Allen Prosser (1871–1952) was the Father of Vocational Education in the United States and the architect of the 1917 Smith-Hughes Act. His mission in life was to help improve the education of American children. Biography Charles Allen P ...

lived in New Albany for much of his life.

Charles Allen Prosser School of Technology Charles Allen Prosser School of Technology (Prosser) is a vocational school in New Albany, Indiana. The school was named in honor of New Albany native Charles Allen Prosser, the "Father of Vocational Education" in the United States. Courses Pross ...

was named in honor of his accomplishments as the "father of vocational education." In the mid and late 20th century, New Albany became an innovator in using electronic media in education. New Albany High School, a public school, started WNAS-FM in 1949, which is the nation's oldest continuously operating high school radio station. In the late 1960s, Slate Run Elementary School started WSRS, a non-licensed student-produced closed-circuit television service for its classrooms, one of the nation's first in an elementary school.

Ohio River flood

In January 1937, a major flood struck the region. New Albany, like the other river towns, had no flood walls and no methods of regulating the river. The Ohio River rose to 60.8 feet at New Albany, leaving most of the town under 10 or more feet of water for nearly three weeks. The flood was the worst disaster to befall the city. After the flood, New Albany was the first city in the region to begin construction on massive flood walls around the city. New Albany's flood walls served as examples for those constructed around Louisville and Clark County.

Geography

New Albany is located at (38.301935, −85.821442). According to the 2010 census, New Albany has a total area of , of which (or 98.87%) is land and (or 1.13%) is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 36,372 people, 15,575 households, and 9,175 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 17,315 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.8%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 8.7%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 1.7% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population. There were 15,575 households, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.4% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.1% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the city was 37.1 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.9% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 13.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 37,603 people, 15,959 households, and 10,054 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 17,098 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.00%

, 12.93%

, 0.31% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 0.67% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. 1.36% of the population is

(Hispanics can be of any race). There were 15,959 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,923, and the median income for a family was $41,993. Males had a median income of $31,778 versus $24,002 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,365. About 11.4% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the Poverty threshold, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

New Albany's Main Street features a large collection of late 19th century mansions from the city's heyday as a shipbuilding center. The centerpiece is the Culbertson Mansion, a three-story French Second Empire Style structure, which is today an Indiana state memorial. Every October, the downtown area of New Albany hosts th
Harvest Homecoming
festival, one of the largest annual events in the state. Festivities begin on the first weekend of October, but the main part, consisting of midway rides, shows, and booths lining the downtown streets, lasts from Thursday-Sunday of the second weekend in October. The 2020 Harvest Homecoming was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Education

Indiana University Southeast, one of the eight campuses of the

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. * Indiana Univers ...

system, is located on the northern edge of the city. The Purdue Polytechnic Institute also maintains a satellite campus in the city. New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation operates public schools. The Children's Academy of New Albany is the public preschool program. Elementary schools in the city limits include: * Fairmont Elementary School * Green Valley Elementary School * Mount Tabor Elementary School * S. Ellen Jones Elementary School * Slate Run Elementary School Grant Line Elementary School is in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

near New Albany. Middle schools in the city limits include: *Hazelwood Middle School *Nathaniel Scribner Middle School. New Albany High School is the city's senior high school with the city being in its attendance boundary. The Greater Louisville Regional Japanese Saturday School (グレータールイビル日本語補習校 ''Gurētā Ruibiru Nihongo Hoshūkō''), a Japanese weekend supplementary school, is affiliated with IUS's Japan Center. It was established in January 1988 and holds its classes at Hillside Hall; its office is elsewhere in New Albany. The city has a free lending library, the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library.

Notable people

* Jamey Aebersold – jazz musician, publisher of "play-along" music books * William Wallace Atterbury (1866-1935) - Brigadier General in the U.S. Army during World War I *

Carl Braden Carl Braden (June 24, 1914 – February 18, 1975) was a trade unionist, journalist, and activist who was known for his work in the civil rights movement. Biography Braden was born in New Albany, Indiana, and died in Louisville, Kentucky. H ...

– Civil Rights activist * Pomeroy Cannon - Physician, stage and film actor * William Cochran - Indiana state legislator and businessman *

Rob Conway Robert Thomas Conway Jr. (born November 28, 1974), is an American professional wrestler. He is known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he performed under his real name and as Robért Conway. Post-WWE, he is also known for hi ...

– pro wrestler * Josh Dallas – Actor who was born in Louisville, KY but went to New Albany High School; Josh Dallas is famous for playing Fandral in ''Thor'', '' Thor: Tales of Asgard'' and Prince Charming/David Nolan in ''Once Upon a Time'' * Aubrey Hampton (1934–2011) – biochemist and writer * Billy Herman (1909–1992) – infielder in Major League Baseball during 1930s and 1940s; holds many National League defensive records for second basemen. *

Houndmouth Houndmouth is an American alternative blues and rock band from New Albany, Indiana, formed in 2011, consisting of Matt Myers (guitar, vocals), Caleb Hickman (keyboard, vocals), Zak Appleby (bass, vocals), and Shane Cody (drums, vocals). Starting ...

– American alternative blues band * Edwin Hubble – astronomer and namesake of Hubble Space Telescope; was a physics and Spanish teacher and basketball coach at New Albany High School during the 1913–1914 academic year * Ferdinand N. Kahler (1864–1927) – inventor, entrepreneur and automobile pioneer * Karen Kamensek – ''Grammy'' nominated orchestral and operatic conductor *

J. Warren Kerrigan George Jack Warren Kerrigan (July 25, 1879 – June 9, 1947) was an American silent film actor and film director. Controversy In May 1917, Kerrigan was nearing the end of a four-month-long personal appearance publicity tour that had taken ...

– actor, was born in New Albany * Charles M. La Follette – member of Congress, was born in New Albany * Romeo Langford – basketball player *

Dusty Ray Bottoms Dusty Ray Bottoms is the stage name of Dustin Rayburn, a drag performer most known for competing on season 10 of '' RuPaul's Drag Race''. In 2022, Rayburn was featured in ''Conversion'', a new documentary film produced by Chronicle Cinema. Rayb ...

- a drag queen and musical artist who competed on ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' (season 10) * John MacLeod – college and pro basketball coach *

Max Macon Max Cullen Macon (October 14, 1915 – August 5, 1989) was an American Major League Baseball player, a minor league player-manager and pitching coach, and a professional baseball scout. Born in Pensacola, Florida, he threw and batted left-ha ...

– Major League Baseball pitcher/first baseman and scout, Minor League manager * George W. Maher – early 20th Century Prairie School style

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

* Jouett Meekin – Major League Baseball pitcher who won 153 games * Sherman Minton – United States Supreme Court Justice who ruled in the landmark '' Brown v. Board of Education'' case in 1954. After retirement, he practiced law in New Albany and was buried in the city's Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery next to Leo Receveur. The I-64 double-decker bridge that crosses the Ohio River between New Albany and Louisville, Kentucky is named for him. * Rondale Moore – football player * Lucy Higgs Nichols (1838–1915) – escaped slave and Civil War nurse, who has a memorial marker on E. Market Street * Charles Allen Prosser – the father of Vocational education –

C. A. Prosser School of Technology Charles Allen Prosser School of Technology (Prosser) is a vocational school in New Albany, Indiana. The school was named in honor of New Albany native Charles Allen Prosser, the "Father of Vocational Education" in the United States. Courses Pross ...

in New Albany is named in his honor *

Craig Pumphrey Craig Pumphrey (born January 24, 1974) is a martial arts expert and Guinness World Record-holding professional breaker. Biography Pumphrey was promoted to Black Belt by Grand Master Townsley in 2000 and has since been promoted to a 7th Degree ...

– police officer, television presenter and martial artist * Four Reno Gang members were lynched in the New Albany Jail by masked vigilantes from Jackson County in 1868 * Joseph Ritter – Roman Catholic archbishop and Cardinal * David H. Rodgers – Mayor of Spokane, Washington *

Roscoe Sarles Roscoe Conkling Sarles (4 January 1892 – 17 September 1922) was an American racecar driver active in the formative years of auto racing. Biography He was born on January 4, 1892, in New Albany, Indiana. Sarles was burned to death on Septe ...

– Indy Car driver * Shanda Sharer (1979–1992) – twelve-year-old torture murder victim * Thomas Smith – Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court * Mike Sodrel – former congressman of Indiana's 9th district *

Evan B. Stotsenburg Evan B. Stotsenburg (May 16, 1865 - August 1, 1937) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the twenty-second Indiana Attorney General from November 11, 1915 to January 1, 1917. He also served as President Pro Tempore of the Indiana S ...

– President Pro Tempore of the Indiana Senate;

Indiana Attorney General The Indiana Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Indiana in the United States. Attorneys General are chosen by a statewide general election to serve for a four-year term. The forty-fourth and Attorney General is Todd Roki ...

(1915-1917) *

John M. Stotsenburg 200px, John M. Stotsenburg War Memorial, Plaridel John Miller Stotsenburg (November 24, 1858 – April 23, 1899) was a captain of the Sixth U.S. Cavalry, and a colonel of the First Nebraska Volunteers. He was killed in the Philippine–Ame ...

– U.S. Army colonel killed in

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

Laura M. Hawley Thurston Laura M. Thurston (, Hawley; pen name, Viola; December 20, 1812 – July 21, 1842) was an American poet and educator. A prolific writer, most of her works were originally published in the ''Louisville Journal'', and in William D. Gallagher's ''He ...

(1812–1842), poet, teacher * Camille Wright Thompson (born in 1955) – silver medalist in swimming at 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, graduate of New Albany High School, University of Hawaii * S. C. Thompson – editor *

Ashbel P. Willard Ashbel Parsons Willard (October 31, 1820 – October 4, 1860) was state senator, the 12th lieutenant governor, and the 11th governor of the U.S. state of Indiana. His terms in office were marked by increasingly severe partisanship leading to the ...

– 11th Governor of Indiana * Fuzzy Zoeller – PGA golfer with 20 tour victories, 1979 Masters champion, 1984 U.S. Open champion, 2002 U.S. Senior champion

Footnotes

External links

City of New Albany, Indiana website
*
New Albany Glass Works/Star Glass Works, New Albany
{{authority control Cities in Indiana Populated places on the Underground Railroad County seats in Indiana Louisville metropolitan area Cities in Floyd County, Indiana Indiana populated places on the Ohio River 1813 establishments in Indiana Territory Populated places established in 1813