Old Jeffersonville Historic District (Jeffersonville, Indiana)

 interesting place, draw only border

www.historicjeffersonville.com/historic%20district1.htm

The Old Jeffersonville Historic District is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana. It was placed on the National Register 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 2,030 acres (8.2 km²), 500 buildings, 6 structures, and 11 objects. Several banks are located in the historic buildings in the district.

On June 23, 1802 Isaac Bowman, who owned tract No. 1 of Clark's Grant, disposed of part of it to trustees to lay off a town and sell lots. The trust contained 150 acres and was laid off according to a design said to have been devised by Thomas Jefferson, for whom the town was named.

A Mr. Palmer, who was in Jeffersonville in 1817 said: "Jeffersonville stands on the banks of the Ohio, nearly opposite Louisville and a little above the Falls. It contains about 130 houses of brick, frame and hewn logs. The bank of the river is high, which affords a fine view of Louisville, the Falls and the opposite hills. Just below the town is a fine eddy for boats. A post-office and a land-office for the sale of United States lands, are established and it promises to become a place of wealth, elegance and extensive business. The most eligible boat channel is on the Indiana side of the Ohio."

By 1819 Chalybeate Springs resort was located just north of Spring Street on 13 acres. In 1838 the resort owners built a big hotel at the foot of Spring Street on the banks of the Ohio and it was the finest hotel in Indiana or Kentucky. The 1840's brought interest in the railroad and the Jeffersonville Railroad Company was incorporated in 1846, becoming the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1873, In 1864 one hundred and fifty thousand dollars were appropriated by Congress to build the united states Quartermaster Depot at Jeffersonville. In 1870 was launched the steamer, James Howard, at the Howard ship yards in Jeffersonville. She was the largest inland river steamer ever built in western waters. The Big Four Railroad Bridge was completed in 1895. These early components of Jeffersonville's history are still around today.

Known in the 19th century for the steamboats manufactured here, Jeffersonville is still a major inland boat manufacturer now know as JeffBoat. For a mile and a quarter on the northern bank of the Ohio River barge building gets top priority. Machinists, carpenters, pipe fitters and other trades people complete about 350 barges a year. Jeffboat, just across the river from Louisville, Ky., also builds towboats and manages a dockside repair facility. The company calls itself the largest inland boat-building company in the United States. Remnants of the old days can still be seen at the Howard Steamboat Museum directly across the street from JeffBoat.

Important building in the district include:
* Carnegie Library of Warder Park
* Old Masonic Temple on Spring Street, just north of Court Avenue. It has a majestic marble staircase. One of the local lodges, Clark #40, built a new temple on the grounds of Jefferson General Hospital, and all the affiliated bodies in Jeffersonville moved there,
* Grisamore House, also on the National Register, former local office of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, which moved next door to the...
* Willey-Allhands House, the current regional office for the HLFI, which was moved here from its former location closer to Clark Memorial Hospital
* Schimpff's Confectionery, world famous for its candies.