Early Newburgh Beginnings

Early Newburgh Beginnings. . Newburgh traces its origins to ca. 1803, when squatters, led by John Sprinkle, were forced to leave Henderson, Kentucky, where they had resided since 1792. Sprinkle, at the time of his death in 1821, had a ferry, a tavern, and a pork-packing establishment. In 1837 the Indiana General Assembly merged Sprinklesburg and the nearby Luce settlement as Newburgh. Merchants carried on a prosperous river trade, especially in pork and tobacco., By 1850, the town had 526 citizens and a newspaper, schools, and churches. The period from 1860 to 1870 was the most prosperous. The population reached nearly 1,400 in 1870, and a few businesses were flourishing., Like many river-dependent towns, Newburgh failed to secure a proper connection to the railroads, and its railway connection to Evansville remained primarily a passenger line. After 1870 Newburgh suffered a decline that lasted until the turn of the twentieth century, when nearby coal-mining, which had existed since the mid-1800s, brought Newburgh back to life., The 4 square blocks of the Newburgh Historic District contain mostly brick buildings from the mid-nineteenth and earliest twentieth century. The more substantial buildings along Sate, Water and Jennings Streets reflect the higher land values and economic prosperity of the commercial sector., By the Way: Newburgh was briefly captured by Confederate soldiers who crossed the river early in the Civil War. Not a shot was fired, though supplies and ammunition were confiscated.