Floyd County Indiana History

10/13/2026

SCHOOL HOUSE: DIVISION STREET SCHOOL, NEW ALBANY, FLOYD COUNTY, INDIANA: This week, the Indiana DNR Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology is highlighting historic schools of all shapes and sizes found in Indiana. Next up is the School House- Division Street School, New Albany, Floyd County, Indiana.

The Division Street School in New Albany, Floyd County was one of the first African American schoolhouses in the state to serve the growing population in New Albany. It was constructed as a simple two-room schoolhouse in 1885, serving grades one to six, with grade seven beginning in 1944. One room operated as a classroom for grades one-three, and the other classroom was for grades four to six and eventually grade seven. The building included a basement that later served as restrooms and a cafeteria. On the exterior, it is a pretty simple white wood building with a brick foundation. The school was integrated into Griffin Street School in 1946, and schoolchildren were fully integrated in 1954. After that, the building served as a Veterans Affairs office and as storage for Public School Corporations. In 1999, the Friends of Division Street School began an initiative to rehabilitate the schoolhouse - one room now functions as a replica of a 1920s classroom, and the other functions as a museum to African American heritage in New Albany.

The Division Street School is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NR-1569/1653). To learn more, visit the Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD): on.IN.gov/shaard.

09/08/2026

09/07/2026

Don't miss our Great Finds Vintage and Home Decor Sale this Saturday, September 12th, 10 AM to 5 PM. 509 W Market St, New Albany. Here is a sneak peak of some of the things we will have for sale.

09/04/2026

⚠️ 10 Days of — sites in imminent jeopardy on Indiana Landmarks' 10 Most Endangered List in 2026. Day 4: City-County Building in New Albany

In the early 1960s, interstate highway construction and urban renewal reshaped downtown New Albany, clearing four blocks for new civic facilities that remain a remarkably cohesive enclave of Modernist architecture, including three buildings designed by the local firm of Walker, Applegate, Oakes and Ritz.

The firm established the area’s character with the New Albany Floyd County City-County Building completed in 1961, the first combined City-County Building in Indiana. Walker, Applegate, Oakes and Ritz later designed the federal courthouse and public library across the street, creating a unified civic grouping.

In 2021, the City relocated its offices to a rehabilitated historic warehouse downtown. Though some court functions remain in the City-County Building, aging systems and space constraints recently prompted the County to move many operations to a former bank building across the street, leaving plans for the structure uncertain.

Ironically, construction of the City-County Building resulted in demolition of the nineteenth-century Floyd County Courthouse, though portions of its surviving columns still stand on the grounds. It would be a shame to repeat history in name of progress by demolishing the City-County Building. Constructed as a symbol of the future, the landmark’s architectural heritage is now worthy of preservation in its own right.

➡️Visit our website to see all the 10 Most Endangered: https://www.indianalandmarks.org/10-most-endangered/

📸: Evan Hale and Lee Lewellen⁠
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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.