Woodburn

History

In 1865 Joseph Edgerton and Joseph Smith platted the town of Woodburn, or Phelps Station as it was called at that time. The two men chose this area due to the abundant timber, fertile ground, and nearby river. After two large, accidental fires in the area Joseph Edgerton sent his son Edward Edgerton to Woodburn to sell off large tracts of land for farming. This area was first known as Phelps Station due to the train depot. There were five families and a post office. In September 1865 the town was again platted with the name Woodburn due to the enormous wood burnings to clear the land. In 1895 a group of local men decided to incorporate the town into Shirley City in honor of Senator Robert B Shirley. Once again in 1956 a special meeting was called where the decision was made to return the name to Woodburn and officially become the smallest 5th class city in Indiana. The hard working pioneers who migrated to this area are to be commended for clearing the land for cultivation and implementing the drainage system. This cleared the way for commerce in the city. The Stucky brothers started their business in Woodburn selling farm implements and repair. The grain elevator and train station were the leading businesses in the early days. Soon the small city became self-contained with everything from a bank, to grocery stores, drug store, furniture, doctors, blacksmith, restaurants, taverns, stockyard, hotel, butcher shop, brick and tile mill, automobiles, schools and churches. Due to limited roads and abundant local business, community members did not have to travel outside of Woodburn for their basic needs. The area surrounding Woodburn was struck by an EF-3 tornado on August 24, 2016.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Woodburn has a total area of , all land. Woodburn is located adjacent to U.S. Route 24.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• New Haven Jr/Sr High School
  High · New Haven · 1,494 students · 18:1 ratio
• Woodlan Jr/Sr High School
  High · Woodburn · 727 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Jefferson Middle School
  Middle · Fort Wayne · 682 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• New Haven Intermediate School
  Elementary · New Haven · 589 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Woodlan Elementary School
  Elementary · Woodburn · 583 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• New Haven Primary School
  Elementary · New Haven · 470 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Arlington Elementary School
  Elementary · Fort Wayne · 420 students · 15:1 ratio