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Take a trip back into time...
On Christmas Eve, 1824, a 22 year-old river man traveled to Crawfordsville with his savings and purchased land on the banks of the Wabash River for his new town. His name was William Digby and the town was Lafayette. He platted it in May of 1825 and sold it three days later, making an $8 profit. Business has been good in downtown Lafayette ever since.
Mr. Digby thought this location would be good for a town since it was on the river and the riverbanks were low here for easy loading and unloading of supplies. |
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| He platted his town on a grid system and it extended from the river to what is now 6th Street and North Street to South Street. He designated a public square that became the Courthouse Square when Lafayette was named the county seat in 1826. |
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| Within a few years, the settlers had cleared the area from the river to the public square and about a block to the north and south. Streets and paths were created at random by citizens who owned property and would clear the way through the trees and underbrush from his house to a particular destination. Marshes and ponds were scattered throughout the town. One pond was large enough to be called Lake Stansbury. In 1836, the town board hired an engineer to grade the town, levy a tax on each lot, and authorize the town Marshall to dig up the stumps in the public square. The public market area was started in the 1830s and Fifth 5th Street, between Main and Columbia, has been its home ever since. |
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The first true courthouse was built in the public square in 1845. At this time the city wharf was located about a block from the square and so was the Wabash & Erie Canal. The canal had arrived in the early 1840s and the railroads about 10 years later. The population in the 1840s was around 2,000 people. A distinct commercial district developed around the public square. Workers tended to live in the area around the canal, the river, and the factories along the riverbanks. Businessmen lived primarily in the areas close to the square. |
| Most of the buildings around the square were two or three stories. The ground floors were usually used as retail stores and the second and third floors were used for offices, wholesale businesses, or residences. Offices around the square included bankers, railroad administrators, doctors and lawyers. It was not unusual to see pigs and cows roaming the streets of this active downtown area. |
| The 1850s through the 1870s were certainly an expansion period here in Lafayette. Transportation was an important part of the city’s success. Farmers had expanded their markets; manufacturing businesses could receive supplies and ship their products. It also became a wholesale trade center and traveling salesmen were often in town to "put up" at the numerous hotels around or near the square. In 1870 the population had grown to over 13,000 residents and there were more than 200 businesses in the general vicinity of the Courthouse Square. |
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Street railways were soon providing transportation to the downtown. Businesses and homes began to move away from the river and commercial area. Purdue opened on the west side of the river and increased development began in that direction. However, the downtown historic area remained largely intact. Most of the buildings were built in the 19th century, many are Italianate design, of brick construction, and two or three stories high. Today, as in years past, our downtown area remains the heart of our city |
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| Downtown Lafayette is unique with its beautiful turn-of the-century architecture, historic neighborhoods, and inviting public areas. Some of the interesting buildings in downtown Lafayette include: |
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This is the third courthouse to stand in the city square since Tippecanoe County was formed in 1826. When it was decided to build this courthouse, the citizens of the county said that they wanted it to be "of permanent and durable character." They presented 45 pages of instructions for the builders to insure that it was a structure they would be proud of for years to come?and it has certainly met these expectations. The building was completed in December of 1884. The shape is a cross with each hall measuring 150 feet and the building stands 212 feet from the ground to the top of the dome. There are over 100 columns on its exterior and the walnut door leading to the interior weigh 500 pounds each. There are sculptures on top of the doom, four underneath the faces of the clock, and groups of figures on the north/south and east/west pediments. |
| The original cost of the building was around $500,000, it has been renovated recently at a cost of over $15 million. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. A self-guided tour booklet of the courthouse is available from the Lafayette - West Lafayette Convention & Visitors Bureau. website |
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The corner of 5th and Main has been offering lodging since 1831. The building as it is today dates to around the mid-1880s. This major restoration project has brought apartments, restaurants, and interests into the downtown while helping to preserve an important part of our heritage.
John Purdue lived there after the Civil War and many of the early planning meetings for Purdue University were held here. President Ulysses S. Grant was honored at a banquet here, and Mark Twain is only one of the many celebrities that have been connected with the building.
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While not really a building, the Farmers’ Market is probably the oldest business in town. Located on 5th Street between Main and Columbia, the market has been in operation since the 1830-40s. Home grown produce, baked goods, and flowers are featured Tuesday and Saturday mornings, and Thursday evenings from May to late October. |
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| John Purdue built this building on 2nd Street, between Columbia and South, in 1845. At that time there were 12 sections to the building, although only four remain today. The building was located on the Wabash & Erie Canal and local citizens liked to brag that it was the largest brick business block west of New York. |
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An audio-tour and /or a self-guided brochure of the downtown area are
available from the Lafayette - West Lafayette Convention & Visitors Bureau.
We have interesting shops, buildings, architecture, and
festivities in our downtown...making it a great place to visit!
Here are some "INTERESTING" FACTS OF TRIVIA" to add to the mix.
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If Doctor Mayo had been more partial to Indiana summers,
we might have had his famous clinic here in Lafayette
since he once had a practice in downtown Lafayette.
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Eli Lilly served his apprenticeship on the north side of the courthouse
square at the drug store at the sign of the Good Samaritan.
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The first official airmail flight took place here in Lafayette on August 16, 1859 when the balloon "Jupiter" rose majestically above the city. The first attempt had been made the day before on the courthouse lawn, but because of problems that had to move the site a few blocks north.
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Frank Cary, who once operated his business in the downtown area, is said to have created the first welded baseball catcher’s mask.
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The downtown area had the following
"oldest" in the State of Indiana?
Oldest drug store—Wells Yeager Best
Oldest bar in same continuous location—The Knickerbocker
Oldest continuous newstand—City News
Oldest drive-in—Triple XXX
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