Lexington, Indiana

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Lexington, Indiana is a town located in Scott County, about 30 miles from the Ohio River. The town itself was founded before Indiana became the 19th state in 1816. It was the original county seat from 1820 to 1874 before local leaders decided on a more central location at nearby Scottsburg, Indiana.

Morgan's Raiders came through Lexington during the American Civil War on July 10-11, 1863, meeting little resistance upon entering the town. William Hayden English, one of the richest men in Indiana of the late 19th century and the unsuccessful Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate of the United States in 1880, was born in Lexington. Joseph H. Shea (1862-1928), who also was born in Lexington, served as U.S. Ambassador to Chile from 1916 to 1921 under Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding.