Port Fulton, Indiana

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Port Fulton's Main Street, as it appears today as part of Jeffersonville. Port Fulton today.jpg
Port Fulton's Main Street, as it appears today as part of Jeffersonville.

Port Fulton was a town located two miles up the river from Louisville, within present-day Jeffersonville, Indiana. At its height it stretched from the Ohio River to modern-day 10th Street, and from Crestview to Jefferson/Main Streets. [1]

Louisville, Kentucky City in Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 29th most-populous city in the United States. It is one of two cities in Kentucky designated as first-class, the other being Lexington, the state's second-largest city. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, located in the northern region of the state, on the border with Indiana.

Jeffersonville, Indiana City in Indiana, United States

Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky, along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Clark County.

Port Fulton was laid out in 1835 by Victor Neff, and named for Robert Fulton, the inventor of steamboats. Its original boundaries were present day Jackson Street (east), Division Street (west), and between Court and Charlestown Streets to the north. It became a magnet for those in the maritime business. Henry French, a steamboat builder, already had a home there. The Howard Family resided there. The shipyards of both French and Howard became Jeffboat. [2]

Robert Fulton American engineer and inventor

Robert Fulton was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing a commercially successful steamboat; the first was called The North River Steamboat. In 1807 that steamboat traveled on the Hudson River with passengers, from New York City to Albany and back again, a round trip of 300 miles, in 62 hours. The success of his steamboat changed river traffic and trade on major American rivers.

Steamboat Smaller than a steamship; boat in which the primary method of marine propulsion is steam power

A steamboat is a boat that is propelled primarily by steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S or PS, however these designations are most often used for steamships.

Henry French House

The Henry French House, also known as the Salmon-French House, is a historic house located in the Port Fulton area of Jeffersonville, Clark County, Indiana in the United States. It was built about 1832, and is a two-story, Federal style brick dwelling with a rear ell added about 1839 to form an I-house. It has some Colonial Revival style design elements.

In April 1853 the city of Jeffersonville attempted to annex Port Fulton, only to be stymied by its residents. [3]

The third-largest Civil War hospital, Jefferson General Hospital, was operated there, formed from the Brighton estate owned by Jesse Bright that was confiscated by Union authorities.

Jefferson General Hospital hospital

Jefferson General Hospital was the third-largest hospital during the American Civil War, located at Port Fulton, Indiana and was active between February 21, 1864 and December 1866. The land was owned by U.S. Senator from Indiana Jesse D. Bright. Bright was sympathetic to the Confederates, and was expelled from his position as Senator in 1862. Union authorities took the property without compensation, similar to what happened at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1880 the population was 907; in 1900, it was 1,104. However, Port Fulton's population declined to 971 in the 1920 census. This allowed Jeffersonville to finally annex Port Fulton in 1926. [4]

The Howard Steamboat Museum is housed in the home of Edmonds J. Howard, the second-generation owner of the Howard Shipyard in Jeffersonville, IN. The home was built by the Howard Shipyard workers over a 4-year period from 1890 to 1894. The Howard Shipyard was founded in 1834 by James Howard. Edmonds took over the operation of the yard after his fathers death in 1878. The shipyard and mansion would transfer to Edmonds sons upon his death in 1918. Clyde sold out to his brother in 1924. James would ultimately sell the shipyard to the Federal Government in 1941 for the building of Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs) to aid in the World War II effort. The shipyard built over 2000 vessels in its 107 year run. The Howard Shipyard was regarded as the builders of the finest steamboats on the Inland Waters.

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Clark County, Indiana County in the United States

Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, located directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2010 Census, the population was 110,232. The county seat is Jeffersonville.

Portland, Louisville neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky

Portland is a neighborhood and former independent town northwest of downtown Louisville, Kentucky. It is situated along a bend of the Ohio River just below the Falls of the Ohio, where the river curves to the north and then to the south, thus placing Portland at the northern tip of urban Louisville. In its early days it was the largest of the six major settlements at the falls, the others being Shippingport and Louisville in Kentucky and New Albany, Clarksville, and Jeffersonville on the Indiana side. Its modern boundaries are the Ohio River along the northwest, north, and northeast, 10th Street at the far east, Market Street on the south, and the Shawnee Golf Course at the far west.

Springville, Clark County, Indiana

Springville was a small town that existed from 1798 to 1811 in Charlestown Township, Clark County, Indiana, United States. It was named for the springs in the area that provided a good fresh water supply.

Old Jeffersonville Historic District

The Old Jeffersonville Historic District is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States. It marks the original boundaries of Jeffersonville, and is the heart of modern-day downtown Jeffersonville. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The area is roughly bounded by Court Avenue at the North, Graham Street on the east, the Ohio River at the south, and Interstate 65 at the west. In total, the district has 203 acres (0.8 km²), 500 buildings, 6 structures, and 11 objects. Several banks are located in the historic buildings in the district. The now defunct Steamboat Days Festival, held on the second weekend in September, used to be held on Spring Street and the waterfront. Jeffersonville's largest fire wiped out a block in the historic district on January 11, 2004 which destroyed the original Horner's Novelty store.

Bethlehem, Indiana Unincorporated community in Indiana, United States

Bethlehem is an unincorporated community in Bethlehem Township, Clark County, Indiana, United States, twenty-five miles up the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. It was platted in 1812 and according to WPA records was presumably named for Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Its first office was established on March 6, 1816. The community's post office is popular around Christmas with those wanting to have a Bethlehem postmark on Christmas letters and cards.

Jeffboat

Jeffboat was a shipyard in Jeffersonville, Indiana founded by James Howard in 1834, a builder of steamboats. The company was owned by the Howard family until it was sold leading up to World War II. Following the war, it became known as the Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Company and later changed its name to Jeffboat, the more commonly used short form of its name. The company was the largest inland shipbuilder in the United States and the second-largest builder of barges before it closed in 2018.

Warder Park

Warder Park is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana on Court Avenue. This park has been a part of the community since the mid-19th century, when it had a bakery to produce hardtack to Union soldiers during the American Civil War. The park wasn't established officially until the year 1881 and is named after then Mayor Luther Warder. Warder had wanted the site for a new city hall, but the city council chose a site between Spring and Pearl on the north side of Market Street for the city hall, and named the park after Warder as a gesture of goodwill. A Carnegie Library was built in 1903.

Jeffersonville Township Public Library library

The Jeffersonville Township Public Library is a public library system in Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States comprising two locations: the main library at 211 East Court Avenue in Jeffersonville and the Clarksville Branch at 1312 Eastern Boulevard in Clarksville, Indiana. The rest of Clark County, Indiana is served by the Charlestown-Clark County Public Library system, with which the Jeffersonville library has a reciprocal borrowing agreement.

Jeffersonville Township, Clark County, Indiana Township in Indiana, United States

Jeffersonville Township is one of twelve townships in Clark County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 59,062 and it contained 27,023 housing units.

Camp Joe Holt hospital

Camp Joe Holt was a Union base during the American Civil War in Jeffersonville, Indiana, across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky, on land that is now part of Clarksville, Indiana, near the Big Eddy. It was a major staging area for troops in the Western Theatre of the War, in preparation for invading the Confederate States of America. Its establishment was the first major step performed by Kentucky Unionists to keep Kentucky from seceding to the Confederacy.

Broom Hill, Indiana Unincorporated community in Indiana, United States

Broom Hill is an unincorporated community in Carr Township, Clark County, Indiana.

Indiana in the American Civil War

Indiana, a state in the Midwest, played an important role in supporting the Union during the American Civil War. Despite anti-war activity within the state, and southern Indiana's ancestral ties to the South, Indiana was a strong supporter of the Union. Indiana contributed approximately 210,000 Union soldiers, sailors, and marines. Indiana's soldiers served in 308 military engagements during the war; the majority of them in the western theater, between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountains. Indiana's war-related deaths reached 25,028. Its state government provided funds to purchase equipment, food, and supplies for troops in the field. Indiana, an agriculturally rich state containing the fifth-highest population in the Union, was critical to the North's success due to its geographical location, large population, and agricultural production. Indiana residents, also known as Hoosiers, supplied the Union with manpower for the war effort, a railroad network and access to the Ohio River and the Great Lakes, and agricultural products such as grain and livestock. The state experienced two minor raids by Confederate forces, and one major raid in 1863, which caused a brief panic in southern portions of the state and its capital city, Indianapolis.

Masonic Widows and Orphans Home

The Masonic Widows and Orphans Home, located in Louisville, Kentucky, is a historic building on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky to support the widows and orphans of Master Masons, but now is open to all senior citizens.

Silver Hills is an unincorporated community in Floyd County, Indiana, in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ Kramer, Carl. This Place We Call Home (Indiana University Press, 2007) p.235)
  2. ↑ Kramer p.100-101
  3. ↑ Kramer p.139)
  4. ↑ Kramer p.210, 256

Coordinates: 38°16′55″N85°43′13″W / 38.28194°N 85.72028°W / 38.28194; -85.72028

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