Floyd County Indiana History

08/06/2026

The William Young house, aka the Floyd County Historical Society's Padgett Museum, will be part of the historic homes tour this year. We are excited for tour goers to see the house, built in 1837 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, decorated for fall. Visitors on September 12th will also have the opportunity to shop our Great Finds Vintage and Home Decor sale which will be set up on the lawn.

Read more about the Historic Homes tour here:

NEW ALBANY – When Matt and Jessica Bergman first moved to New Albany, local historian Dave Barksdale told them he wanted to recognize and restore the city’s “forgotten spaces.”

07/23/2026

Do you enjoy finding a great vintage treasure or the perfect home decor item? Don't sleep on this opportunity. Save the date for our Great Finds sale on September 12th. Your purchase supports the Floyd County Historical Society.

07/23/2026

Do you enjoy discovering a special find for your house or to add to a collection? Save the date for our Great Finds Vintage and Home Decor Sale on September 12th.

07/22/2026

You will notice that Floyd County is highlighted but not included in the list of more detailed information. No definitive documentation has been found, so far, to solve the mystery of who Floyd County was named for. Two possibilities are Davis Floyd or Colonel John Floyd, both prominent persons of the time. After extensive research several years ago by a local historian, many people believe that the county was named in honor of Davis Floyd.

It is interesting to note that there is a Floyd County in Virginia which is named for John Floyd's son who served as governor of Virginia.

Did you know that 44 of Indiana's 92 counties are named after Revolutionary War figures? They are highlighted in blue on this map.

Beyond county names, there are also many Hoosier cities and towns named for people who played a role in the Revolutionary War.

Here is Indiana Historical Society's list of Hoosier counties named for Revolutionary figures:

▪ Bartholomew County named for Gen. Joseph Bartholomew
▪ Boone County named for Daniel Boone
▪ Carroll County named for Charles Carroll, last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence
▪ Clark County named for Gen. George Rogers Clark
▪ Crawford County named for Col. William Crawford
▪ Dearborn County named for Gen. Henry Dearborn
▪ DeKalb County named for Gen. Baron Johann de Kalb
▪ Dubois County named for Toussaint Dubois
▪ Fayette County named for the Marquis de Lafayette
▪ Fountain County named for named for a Maj. Fountain, of Kentucky
▪ Franklin County named for Benjamin Franklin
▪ Gibson County named for John Gibson, also Governor of Indiana Territory
▪ Greene County named for Gen. Nathanael Greene
▪ Hamilton County named for Alexander Hamilton
▪ Hancock County named for John Hancock
▪ Henry County named for Patrick Henry
▪ Huntington County named for Samuel Huntington
▪ Jackson County named for Andrew Jackson who served as a courier for the Continental Army at age 13
▪ Jasper County named for named for Sgt. William Jasper
▪ Jay County named for John Jay
▪ Jefferson County named for Thomas Jefferson
▪ Knox County named for Gen. Henry Knox
▪ Kosciusko County named for Tadeusz Kosciusko
▪ Madison County named for James Madison
▪ Marion County named for Gen. Francis Marion
▪ Marshall County named for Chief Justice John Marshall
▪ Monroe County named for James Monroe
▪ Montgomery County named for Gen. Richard Montgomery
▪ Newton County named for Sgt. John Newton
▪ Posey County named for Thomas Posey
▪ Pulaski County named for Gen. Count Casimir Pulaski
▪ Putnam County named for Gen. Israel Putnam
▪ Rush County named for Dr. Benjamin Rush
▪ Scott County named for Gen. Charles Scott
▪ Shelby County named for Isaac Shelby
▪ Starke County named for Gen. John Stark
▪ Steuben County named for Baron von Steuben
▪ Sullivan County named for Gen. Daniel Sullivan
▪ Vanderburgh County named for Henry Vanderburgh
▪ Vigo County named for Francis Vigo
▪ Warren County named for Dr. Joseph Warren
▪ Washington County named for George Washington
▪ Wayne County named for Gen. Anthony Wayne

Check out some other ways Indiana counties got their names ➡️

06/12/2026

Pearl Street in New Albany, then and now.

11/25/2025

More than 1,250 3rd graders in Floyd County are receiving a copy of This is Our Community, a history book of Floyd County. The Floyd County Historical Society has been publishing and distributing this teaching aid for local history since 1956. The project is supported by the New Albany-Floyd County Schools, the Floyd County Historical Society, community members, and corporate sponsors: Graphic Packaging International, NYX Inc., Samtec New Albany.

11/23/2025

In 1859, New Albany built a state-of-the art (for the time) jail. Why does the Padgett Museum have a door from the jail? And, how did it come to be in the collection? Find out the answer to this and more at the next meeting of the Floyd County Historical Society on Tuesday, Nov 25th. Join us at 6:30 PM, in the auditorium of the Floyd County Library in New Albany when Historical Society board members present "Hidden Treasures from the Padgett Museum".

11/23/2025

Many thanks to Carnegie Inc. for the generous donation to the Padgett Museum.

11/22/2025

Save the date🎄🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸🎄