Johnsonville, Indiana

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Johnsonville
Looking toward Williams Chapel.
Looking toward Williams Chapel.
Johnsonville (Indiana)
Johnsonville
Johnsonville
Coordinates: 40°13′39″N 87°29′11″W / 40.2275, -87.48639
Country United States
State Indiana
County Warren
Township Steuben
Founded 1874
Founder John R. Johnson Sr.
Elevation [1] 676 ft (206 m)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 47993
Area code(s) 765
GNIS feature ID 0437068

Johnsonville is a small town in Steuben Township, Warren County, Indiana.

Contents

[edit] History

Johnsonville was platted July 8, 1874 by John R. Johnson, Senior, near Sumner Station. A post office was established there on December 2, 1875, with George W. Johnson as postmaster.[2] As of September 1875 there were said to be about 50 people living in the town; there were several businesses including a dry goods store and a tan yard that produced leather[3]. The town also had a druggist, a doctor, a lawyer, a blacksmith, a grain dealer, a railway agent, a tinker, and a boarding-house[4].

Map from 1877 Warren County atlas
Map from 1877 Warren County atlas

The town was established at the intersection of two rail lines: the existing Toledo, Wabash and Western Railroad and the new Coal Branch of the Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad (the branch being known as the "Pumpkin Vine" Railroad), which was laid down in 1872. The well-chosen location favored the town's success, but trains had stopped running on the Pumpkin Vine by 1880, just six years after the town was formally established; and when the rails were removed shortly thereafter, the site's importance was diminished, and the town began to dwindle. The post office closed on August 31, 1907.

As of 2007, Johnsonville consists of a non-denominational Christian church and a few residences.

[edit] Geography

Johnsonville is located at 40°13'39" North, 87°29'11" West (40.227500, -87.486389), two and a quarter miles east of the Indiana-Illinois state line. Flat, open farmland surrounds it to the north and west, while wooded valleys and hollows lie to the southeast.[1] The Norfolk Southern Railway passes southwest through Johnsonville on its way to Danville, Illinois.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b USGS detail on Johnsonville. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
  2. ^ (2002) A History of Warren County, Indiana (175th Anniversary Edition). Warren County Historical Society. 
  3. ^ "Warren Republican", September 16, 1875. 
  4. ^ "Warren Republican", January 10, 1876. 

[edit] External links

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