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Williamsport, Indiana

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Williamsport
Town
Warren County courthouse in Williamsport
Warren County courthouse in Williamsport
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountyWarren
TownshipWashington
Founded1828
Incorporated1854
Founded byWilliam Harrison
Area
 • Total1.0 sq mi (2.7 km2)
 • Land1.1 sq mi (2.7 km2)
 • Water0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation
[1]
659 ft (201 m)
Population
 (2006)
 • Total1,932
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
47993
Area code765
FIPS code18-84410Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0446088Template:GR

Williamsport is a town in Washington Township, Warren County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,932 at the 2006 census. The city is the county seat of Warren CountyTemplate:GR. It is home to Williamsport Falls, the highest waterfall in the state.

History

The town clock.

Williamsport was platted by William Harrison on December 11, 1828, on the south end of the eastern fractional part of the northeast quarter of section 11, township 21, range 8. Harrison was the first to occupy the town in the fall of 1828, building a log house at the east end of Main Street near the river, and operated a ferry crossing there for several years. Though located on the opposite side of the river from the Wabash and Erie Canal, Williamsport sought to draw shipping traffic by constructing a short cut-off canal. Finished around 1852, the project led to the nickname "Side-Cut City".

Williamsport became the county seat in June 1829, taking the title away from short-lived Warrenton. Its post office was the first in the county and has operated since September 28, 1829. The town was incorporated in March 1854, at which time its population was 552.[2]

James Frank Hanly, who was the Governor of Indiana from 1905 to 1909, lived and practiced law here from 1879 to 1896; he is buried at Hillside Cemetery, on the northeast side of town.

The Williamsport-Washington Township Public Library opened in 1917 as a Carnegie library, and moved to a new facility in 2002.

Williamsport Falls is the highest waterfall of Indiana, and is located near the center of downtown Williamsport.

Historic Places

The Williamsport Presbyterian Church at 15 Fall Street, built in 1889, appears on the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures. It was closed in 1964 and stood vacant until 1991, when a non-profit corporation was set up to support the restoration effort. It was listed in 1998 after having received a new slate roof and other repairs. The building contains the original stained glass windows, bell, pulpit, and pews.

The "Tower House" can be found at 303 Lincoln Street and was constructed in 1845. The house was nicknamed due to its 3 story tower on the northeast corner of the building. The house was originally constructed as a mirrored twin; the twin house was destroyed by a fire in the 1990s. The house has changed from its original construction. An enclosed front porch and side porch has been retooled to serve as the current family's kitchen area. The house originally contained two large rooms upstairs, and three rooms downstairs. What appears to be the summer kitchen and original carriage house still stand. The house now has five bedrooms, one bath upstairs and seven rooms, an enclosed porch, and a bath downstairs.

The Warren County Courthouse at 125 North Monroe Street was built in 1907-1908 and is on the United States National Register of Historic Places. It is the fourth court house in the county's history.

Geography

The Wabash River as seen from Old Town.

Williamsport is located at 40°17′13″N 87°17′31″W / 40.28694°N 87.29194°W / 40.28694; -87.29194Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.286834, -87.291998)Template:GR. Its most striking natural feature is Williamsport Falls, a 90-foot waterfall near the center of town, and Indiana's tallest. Williamsport's older section ("Old Town") is in bottom land next to the Wabash River; "New Town" was built on the hill above it to be closer to the railroad. Indiana State Road 28 passes through the town. The rail line through town is currently operated by Norfolk Southern Railway.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.7 km²), all of it land.

References

  1. ^ "USGS detail on Williamsport". Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  2. ^ A History of Warren County, Indiana. Warren County Historical Society. 1966. p. 134.
  • Clifton, Thomas A. (editor) (1913), Past and Present of Fountain and Warren Counties, Indiana, Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Co.
  • Goodspeed, Weston A. (1883) , "Towns and Villages of Warren County" in Counties of Warren, Benton, Jasper and Newton, Indiana: Historical and Biographical, Chicago: F. A. Battey & Co.
  • Warren County Historical Society (2002), A History of Warren County, Indiana (175th Anniversary Edition), pp. 163–173
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