In 1824, Samuel Moore, a North Carolina Quaker, laid out the plans for
the land he purchased for $2.00 an acre in 1823.He called it
Mooresville, after his last name. Samuel chose thislocation because of
the delta that laid between the east and west forks of White Lick
Creek. This land had a fertile bottom ground and water to power mills.
He set aside 16 lots within four 5 acre blocks. Mr. Moore would not
allow a public sale of the lots, but gave the lots to desirable
citizens.
Asa Bales built the first cabin in the town. Samuel
Moore Rooker was the first child born in town and was named for and by
Samuel Moore. Mr. Moore constructed a frame building on the northeast
corner of the public square, from which he sold his merchandise.
In
1826 Alexander Worth & Company opened the second store and also
built a wollen mill. The first school society in Mooresville was
organized in Samuel Moore's store in 1828.
Also in 1828, Samuel
Moore married Eliza Worthington of Madison, Indiana. Eliza was a
Methodist and both the Quaker and Methodist denominations were
prominent in the early development of the community.
By 1831 the population of Mooresville had grown to 200. The town was
incorporated in 1838. The Mooresville Chronicle was established in 1846
and lasted four years. In 1872, the first bank, Savings Bank of
Mooresville, was established. Samuel Moore died in 1889, at the age of
90.
Mooresville
adopted "Home of the State Flag" as its slogan in 1966, in honor of
Paul Hadley, the Indiana state flag's designer. Mr. Hadley was a
well-known watercolor artist and lived in Mooresville for many years.
Mooresville's population grew from 200 in 1831 to 2,000 in 1900 to just over 10,000 today.
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