Newburgh is a borough in Ohio Township,

Warrick County Warrick County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 63,898. The county seat is Boonville. It was organized in 1813 and was named for Captain Jacob Warrick, an Indiana militia company commander killed ...

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 s ...

, United States, along the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

. The population was 3,325 at the 2010 census, although the town is part of the larger

Evansville metropolitan area The Evansville metropolitan area is the 164th largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States. The primary city is Evansville, Indiana, the third largest city in Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana as well as the h ...

which recorded a population of 342,815, and Ohio Township, which Newburgh shares with nearby

Chandler Chandler or The Chandler may refer to: * Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles * Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships Arts ...

, has a population of 37,749 in the 2010 census with over 17,000 of those living in the town and areas adjacent to the town. It is the easternmost suburb of

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...

. The area has been inhabited by various cultures for millennia dating back at least 10,000 years.

Angel Mounds Angel Mounds State Historic Site ( 12 VG 1), an expression of the Mississippian culture, is an archaeological site managed by the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites that includes more than of land about southeast of present-day Evansville, ...

was a permanent settlement of the

Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a Native Americans in the United States, Native American civilization that flourished in what is now the Midwestern United States, Midwestern, Eastern United States, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from appr ...

from 1000 AD to around 1400 AD. By 1850 Newburgh was one of the larger riverports between

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, and it was the first town north of the

Mason–Dixon line The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...

to be captured by Confederate forces during the

Newburgh Raid The Newburgh Raid was a successful raid by Confederate partisans on Newburgh, Indiana, on July 18, 1862, making it the first town in a northern state to be captured during the American Civil War. Confederate colonel Adam Rankin Johnson led the ra ...

as part of 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 states th ...

. Shortly after the mid-nineteenth century Newburgh's growth leveled off until an economic boom of the 1960s and 1970s resulted in substantial growth as a bedroom community for families looking for new housing developments near Evansville. Today, Newburgh is locally known for its historic downtown district that features a number of specialty stores, antique shops, and restaurants along its riverfront. The town remains a popular residential community for people working in or near Evansville.

History

As a town situated on the fertile banks of the

, Newburgh has a long history of human activity. Western explorers first arrived in the area in the 17th century. For centuries prior to that, it had been inhabited by the

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

and was near the center of prehistoric

even as late as 1450 A.D. Evidence of this prehistoric society remains today at

, a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

, and Ellerbusch site, both approximately two miles west of Newburgh. The principal founders of Newburgh are John Sprinkle and Abner Luce. Sprinkle, a businessman of German descent, landed in Newburgh in the spring of 1803, thirteen years before

entered the Union as the 19th state. He secured land grants in 1812 and in 1818 platted what became known as Sprinklesburgh (sometimes called "Mount Pleasant"). It was the first town in

. The original plat of Sprinklesburgh consisted of about 12 blocks immediately west of today's downtown Newburgh. Abner Luce founded Newburgh almost directly to the east of Sprinklesburgh in 1829. In 1841 Luce's plat was merged with Sprinkelsburgh and the name of the town was changed to Newburgh. However, it was Samuel Short's land, a strip on the block west of State Street, that now has some of the most visible and important land in today's downtown Newburgh. Early on in its history Newburgh enjoyed prosperity. By 1850, the town had grown to be one of the largest riverports on the Ohio-Mississippi River between

and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Much of its growth in this time period was due to coal mining and its beneficial location on the

. The first

underground mine Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

shaft in Indiana was sunk in Newburgh in 1850. However, when the national railway system came to southern Indiana, it bypassed Newburgh completely in favor of

, beginning a permanent shift in regional economic dominance. According to a number of historical sources, Newburgh was a prominent stop on 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. T ...

between the mouth of the Little Pigeon River and

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 o ...

. On July 18, 1862, Newburgh was the first town north of the Mason-Dixon line to be captured by the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

forces during the

in what would come to be known as the

. Colonel Adam "Stovepipe" Johnson, with a partisan band, crossed the Ohio River and confiscated supplies and ammunition without a shot being fired. The Confederates would have been unable to shell the city (as promised) had Newburgh put up a fight. The Confederates' "cannons" were an assemblage of a stove pipe, a charred log, and wagon wheels. The raid convinced the federal government that it was necessary to supply Indiana with a permanent force of regular Union Army soldiers to counter future raids. Many of the structures used in this raid are still standing, including The Exchange Hotel. Newburgh's economy benefited from the construction of the Lock and Dam 47 in the 1920s, and its replacement in 1974 with the Newburgh Lock and Dam. The town has also benefited from the arrival, and later expansions, of the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) in the 1950s and then the 1970s. Many of Newburgh's residents are commuters to businesses and industry in Evansville and surrounding areas. In 1994, Newburgh leaders planned to annex large areas that would have extended town limits to Frame Road (west) and SR 66 (north and east). From a planning perspective, this would have given Newburgh the ability to plan land use for large open, undeveloped areas. However, by 2001 the town's leadership shifted its focus away from annexation toward planning in the well-established current town limits. On November 6, 2005, the

Evansville Tornado of November 2005 A destructive outbreak of nine tornadoes struck the Mississippi Valley and the Midwest during the overnight hours of November 5–6, 2005. The worst event was an F3 tornado that formed early in the morning of November 6, 2005, outside of Evansvil ...

caused 25 deaths in nearby Evansville. Newburgh suffered extensive property damage and some injuries, but suffered no fatalities during the 2:06 AM strike. The Old Newburgh Presbyterian Church and Original Newburgh Historic District are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Geography

Newburgh is located at . According to the 2010 census, Newburgh has a total area of , all land. Plans to expand town limits through annexation have been abandoned in favor of planning and development within the current town limits. Newburgh faces the

along its southern boundary possibly. Much of the town is protected from flood risk by locks and dams completed in the 1960s potentially. Notable landmarks on the west side is the Angel Mounds Historic Site, a burial site believed to be abandoned a few hundred years ago possibly.

Architecture

Many of Newburgh's prominent and notable buildings can be found in the Original Newburgh Historic District and developed between about 1850 and 1930. Numerous buildings have been, and have potential to be, nominated to the National Register of Historic Places and satisfy the basic criteria of possessing outstanding significance on the national, state, or local level for history, architecture, environment, and/or integrity. The town's architecture includes representative examples of

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

, and

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

style architecture.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and cool to mild winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Newburgh has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Law and government

Newburgh uses the council-manager form of government, led by a five-member town council and a clerk-treasurer. The town council holds both legislative and executive powers while the clerk-treasurer is responsible for financial matters. All are elected for four-year terms. The council employs and oversees a town manager who is responsible for municipal personnel, budget, and day-to-day operations of the town government. Some of the governmental functions are handled through

officials. The county maintains a

small claims court Small-claims courts have limited jurisdiction to hear civil cases between private litigants. Courts authorized to try small claims may also have other judicial functions, and go by different names in different jurisdictions. For example, it may b ...

that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court. Newburgh is represented by Holli Sullivan (District 78) in the Indiana State House of Representatives and

Vaneta Becker Vaneta Becker (October 9, 1949) is an American politician who serves as a Republican Senator in the Indiana Senate representing Senate District 50, which contains portions of Vanderburgh and Warrick County in the southern part of the state. Sh ...

(District 50) in the Indiana State Senate. The town is located in the 8th District of Indiana
map
and served by U.S. Representative

Larry Bucshon Larry Dean Bucshon ( ; born May 31, 1962) is an American politician and physician who has been the U.S. representative for since 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. Early life, education, and early career Bucshon was born in Taylo ...

, a resident of Newburgh.

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 incl ...

of 2010, there were 3,325 people, 1,455 households, and 935 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,585 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 94.2%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.4%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% Native American, 2.0%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.9% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

people of any race were 2.0% of the population. There were 1,455 households, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.7% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age in the town was 42.1 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 31.8% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,088 people, 1,369 households, and 889 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,478 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.38%

, 1.17%

, 0.03% Native American, 0.36%

, 0.32% from

, and 0.74% from two or more races.

people of any race were 0.58% of the population. There were 1,369 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.79. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,581, and the median income for a family was $53,854. Males had a median income of $41,538 versus $24,662 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 town was $24,537. None of the families and 2.5% of the population were living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including no under eighteens and 5.1% of those over 64.

Education

The Town of Newburgh is served by the

Warrick County School Corporation The Warrick County School Corporation (WCSC) is the second largest public school-governing body in Southwestern Indiana and the 27th largest in Indiana.http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/TRENDS/top10.cfm It is responsible for providing education to ...

, and there are four elementary schools, two middle schools, and Castle High School. The four elementary schools are Castle, Newburgh, Sharon, and Yankeetown. The two middle schools are Castle North and Castle South. The Indiana Board of Education awarded all of Newburgh's public schools an "A" grade, the highest possible. Additional private schools are located in surrounding communities. Newburgh is served by two branches of the Ohio Township Public Library System. The branch was established on May 15, 1916, in downtown Newburgh as a Carnegie endowed library. The Downtown Newburgh branch underwent a renovation that was completed in 1984. The Bell Road library became the main branch in 2005. In 2017, the library joined the Evergreen Indiana consortium, which allows patrons to borrow materials from over 100 libraries across Indiana.

Cultural features

Several blocks of Main Street in Newburgh have been intentionally groomed to give off a historic village "river town" air. Each summer Newburgh hosts a number of festivals, including a Wine, Art & Jazz Festival; Fiddler Fest; and the Strawberry Festival. Some events are held on the shore of the river near the town's lock and dam, with others in the "antique" downtown section of Newburgh. Summerfest (formerly called the Summer Social), held at St. John's Catholic Parish and School, happens on a weekend in June. Each fall the historic downtown association hosts popular "Ghost Walks" where attendees learn of the town's history of mining, the Civil War, and the Underground Railroad. The first weekend in December features a downtown Christmas celebration with over 60 people dressed in period costume, carolers and street musicians. Trolley tours, photos with Santa, and the Newburgh tree lighting ceremony are also part of "Newburgh Celebrates Christmas." Newburgh has several municipal parks. A bicycle and pedestrian trail extends along the riverfront maybe, with plans to eventually link it up with Evansville's trail system maybe and tie into the maybe

American Discovery Trail The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal tra ...

. In 2006, the

United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship The United States Senior Men's Amateur Golf Championship is a national tournament for amateur golf competitors at least 55 years of age. It is operated by the United States Golf Association (USGA). The tournament starts with 36 holes of stroke pla ...

was hosted in

, not far from Newburgh, at the

Victoria National Golf Course Victoria National Golf Course (officially Victoria National Golf Club) is located northeast of Newburgh, Indiana, in the southwestern corner of the state, roughly 7 miles east of Evansville, Indiana. Victoria is a private 18-hole golf course that ...

Notable people

* William Bartelt, historian and author considered the greatest living scholar on

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 ...

's youth in Indiana *

Jamey Carroll Jamey Blake Carroll (born February 18, 1974) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mi ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player *

Ernie Haase Raymond Ernest "Ernie" Haase III (born December 12, 1964) is an American Southern gospel singer. He is best known as the tenor vocalist and founder of Ernie Haase and Signature Sound since 2002, as well as being a former tenor vocalist of the Ca ...

, musician, grew up in Newburgh * Mock Orange, band *

Michael Rosenbaum Michael Owen Rosenbaum (born July 11, 1972) is an American actor and podcaster. He is known for portraying Lex Luthor on the Superman television series ''Smallville'', a role that ''TV Guide'' included in their 2013 list of "The 60 Nastiest Vill ...

, actor ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

'' *

Marcia Yockey Marcia Yockey (6 November 1922 - 28 September 2000) was an American meteorologist who was best known for her 35-year on-air career in Evansville, Indiana. She made her television debut on WFIE Channel 14 in 1953, after 10 years of working for the ...

, local television weather personality

Sister cities

Newburgh has one

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

, as designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of "sister cities"� ...

, Inc. (SCI):

Newburgh, Lancashire __NOTOC__ Newburgh is a rural village and civil parish in Lancashire, England, from Skelmersdale and from Ormskirk. Its population in 2011 was 1,056. Newburgh's history can be traced back to 1304 when a licence was granted to start a weekly ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

References

{{authority control Towns in Indiana Towns in Warrick County, Indiana Evansville metropolitan area Communities of Southwestern Indiana Populated places established in the 19th century Indiana populated places on the Ohio River Populated places on the Underground Railroad Sundown towns in Indiana