Newburgh

History

As a town situated on the fertile banks of the Ohio River, Newburgh has a long history of human activity. Western explorers first arrived in the area in the 17th century. For centuries prior to that, it had been inhabited by the Shawnee people and was near the center of prehistoric Mississippian culture as late as 1450 A.D. He secured land grants in 1812 and in 1818 platted what became known as Sprinklesburgh (sometimes called "Mount Pleasant"). It was the first town in Warrick County. The original plat of Sprinklesburgh consisted of about 12 blocks immediately west of today's downtown Newburgh. Abner Luce founded Newburgh almost directly to the east of Sprinklesburgh in 1829. In 1841, Luce's plat was merged with Sprinkelsburgh and the name of the town was changed to Newburgh. However, when the national railway system came to southern Indiana, it bypassed Newburgh completely in favor of Evansville, beginning a permanent shift in regional economic dominance. On July 18, 1862, Newburgh was the first town north of the Mason–Dixon line to be captured by the Confederate forces during the American Civil War in what would come to be known as the Newburgh Raid. Colonel Adam "Stovepipe" Johnson, with a partisan band, crossed the Ohio River and confiscated supplies and ammunition without a shot being fired. The Confederates would have been unable to shell the city (as promised) had Newburgh put up a fight. The Confederates' cannons were an assemblage of a stove pipe, charred log, and wagon wheels. The raid convinced the federal government that it was necessary to supply Indiana with a permanent force of regular Union Army soldiers to counter future raids. Many of the structures used in this raid are still standing, including the Exchange Hotel. Newburgh's economy benefited…

Geography

Newburgh is located at . According to the 2010 census, Newburgh has a total area of , of land. Plans to expand town limits through annexation have been abandoned in favor of planning and development within the current town limits. The town's architecture includes representative examples of Italianate, Greek Revival, and Classical Revival style architecture. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and cool to mild winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Newburgh has a humid subtropical climate (abbrev. CFA) on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,282
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  9,659
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  9,110
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  8,827
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  8,705
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,290
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  7,883
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,149