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In the summer of 1821,
part of the land near
Knightstown was
purchased at a land sale
near Brookville. There
was a dozen different
entries in Wayne
Township covering
several hundred acres.
Waitsel Carey and Samuel
Carey were the owners of
the land Knightstown was
platted on. Waitsel
bought Samuel's half of
$100 in 1826 and platted
Knightstown in 1827 on
the National
(Cumberland) Road.
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The direct predecessor
of Knightstown was West
Liberty, which was
located on the old State
Road running from
Rushville to
Indianapolis,
approximately 3/4 mile
southwest of
Knightstown. When the
National Road was
projected through this
region, the hopes of
West Liberty were dealt
a death blow. As
Knightstown began to
grow and travel began
over the new new road,
the people of West
Liberty moved to the new
town. Crude cabins were
abandoned and there is
no trace remaining of
the settlement. |
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By 1829, Knightstown has
only four or five
houses. The town was
named in honor of
Jonathan Knight, a
United States engineer,
who was engaged in the
construction of the
National Road. |
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Knightstown is situated
on the crest of a hill
rising between Blue
River and Montgomery
Creek. It has been
primarily an
agricultural community.
In the last half
century, Knightstown has
increasingly become a
bedroom community for
industrial workers in
Anderson, New Castle,
Connersville. and
Indianapolis. |
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A newspaper, "The
Federal Union", the
first in the county, was
published at Knightstown
about the year 1832. It
lasted a year and was
followed by a series of
publications of varied
existence. |
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A notable figure in the
early history of
Knightstown was Charles
A. Beard, who with his
brother operated the
"Knightstown Sun" from
1891 to 1895. He
graduated from
Knightstown High School
and Depauw University;
he went on to become a
foremost educator and on
the nation's leading
historians. The local
school system is now
named in his honor, The
Charles A. Beard
Memorial School
Corporation. |
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In 1906 our first public
library was opened. It
was located on the
second floor of a
downtown business
building until our
present Carnegie
building was completed
in 1912. It is an
excellent and widely
used community resource. |
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All the time of the
organization of Henry
County from part of
Wayne County,
Knightstown vied for the
position of County Seat.
This was due to its
strategic importance on
the developing National
Road. On June 9, 1998,
The National Road/U.S.
40 through Indiana was
designated a National
Scenic Byway by the U.S.
Secretary of
Transportation. |
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Population has increased
since Knightstown's
inauspicious beginnings.
From 1870 with a
population of 1,528 it
has grown to
approximately 2,500.
There are about 9,000
people within an eight
mile radius of
Knightstown. |
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Knightstown, IN
Genealogy Resources |
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The Bookmark
Attn: Bonnie Manche
36 N. Washington Street
Knightstown, IN 46148
Phone: 765-345-9262
Email:
RBManche@aol.com
Historic Knightstown
Inc.
22 N. Washington Street
Knightstown, IN 46148
Knightstown Public
Library
5 East Main St.
Knightstown, IN 46148
Phone: 765-345-5095
Glen Cove Cemetery
8875 South State Road
#109
Knightstown, IN 46148
Phone #: 765-345-9181
Fax: 765-445-0118 |
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