Lewis, also known as Lewisburg or Centerville, is an unincorporated

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

in Vigo County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. It is part of the Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of

Pierson Township, Vigo County, Indiana Pierson Township is one of twelve Civil township, townships in Vigo County, Indiana, Vigo County, Indiana, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 1,210 and it contained 589 housing units. History Frank Senour Round Barn was listed ...

. There is a post office at Lewis, and a church. Originally platted entirely within Vigo County, it has now expanded into adjacent Sullivan County.

History

The town was laid out September 9, 1838, by Addison Williams near the south line of Vigo County, on the Centerville wagon road, which was used by the

pony express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

for a few years. The first business in town was a

tannery Tanning, or hide tanning, is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is the place where the skins are processed. Historically, vegetable based tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound derived fr ...

established by Joseph Stutman, and the first house was built by Charles Stewart in 1842. A cabinet shop run by the Buskirks and John B. Smith's

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shop soon followed. Dodson & Jenkins opened a store in 1844. Lewis had a log school-house for many years, and established itself as a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

town as well. The post office at Lewis has been in operation since 1840.

Geography

Lewis is located at .

Demographics

The

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

incorporated Lewis within one of its

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in the 2022

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

. Census Bureau demographics for the hamlet are, after that date, to be found in the article for that CDP.

References

Terre Haute metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Indiana Unincorporated communities in Sullivan County, Indiana Unincorporated communities in Vigo County, Indiana {{VigoCountyIN-geo-stub