The History and Explanation of Ellettsville Indiana 9/15/22
By: Ben Welch
For most of us attending Edgewood schools, Ellettsville Indiana is our home, but who and what started our town, what events have made it what we know today?
Ellettsville was named in honor of Edward Elletts, a local tavern owner. The community was established in 1837 and incorporated in 1866. The limestone industry played an essential role in the town's economic and social growth and development. Most of the schools, churches, and government buildings in the town were made of limestone. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, limestone from Ellettsville was used to rebuild the Pentagon.
The vision of the Ellettsville Fire Department is to be recognized by those they serve, their members, and their peers by,
Providing the best fire, medical, and life safety services in Ellettsville and those communities that they serve.
Having a dynamic organization that adjusts to the needs of the community they serve.
Having an organization recognized as a leader in the cooperative services to their community.
Mission Statement
The Ellettsville Fire Department's mission is to achieve our town’s needs and expectations by providing an excellent quality first response, safety, and community services.
Ellettsville FD
After the great conflagration in the Town, the Townspeople saw a need for some type of fire protection.” This is where our story begins “ They met several times over a period of 18 months and finally, a group of men formed the "Ellettsville Fire Company". The date was May 29, 1888. A set of By-Laws was drawn up and approved. It consisted of how many people the organization could have, when and where they would meet, and the company would have a chief, an assistant chief, a treasurer, and a secretary. This form of the organization held firmly for five years. The only equipment at that time was a hand pumper (which Bloomington left after the conflagration), and leather buckets, everyone was issued an axe and bed keys. When a fire was noted, the fire company would get the hand pumper and go to the nearest water source and start pumping through makeshift hoses.
Police Department
The staff is well equipped and well-trained to handle the public safety needs of the Ellettsville community. With eleven full-time, five part-time officers, and a well-established reserve unit, consisting of ten officers, they patrol the streets and protect the citizens day and night.
The department states,
“Every full-time and part-time officer is Indiana Law Enforcement Academy state certified, while the reserve officers have all completed their mandatory 40-hour pre-basic course. The officers are active in the community in many ways, both on- and off-duty. The department's police vehicles are equipped with radios, radar, and video cameras to better assist the officers in traffic enforcement, criminal investigations, and also in prosecution of criminal charges filed against violators.”
The Police Department is always ready to serve and welcomes the challenges posed by a growing community.
Ellettsville was platted in 1837. In 1818 Edward Ellett, Sr, and his wife Eleanor settled in what is now known as Ellettsville with their four minor sons: David, Richard, Johnston, and Barton. The first winter, they lived in a three-sided log cabin they built. Also settling that same year were their two eldest sons, William and Samuel, with their wives and families. Within a few years daughters Sarah, Phoebe, and Nancy would settle in the area with their husbands. Eventually, in 1826, their third eldest son Edward, Jr. also arrived in the town that would be named Ellettsville in 1837.
History
According to research done in 1975, “The Town of Ellettsville was founded in 1837. The population of the Town has always been about 700 to 1000 people. This was the case up until the mid-1960s when the Town really started to grow. On Sunday, August 1st, 1886, Ellettsville suffered the greatest loss by fire in the history of the Town. It was described as a small conflagration. At about 10:30 pm, the engine room of Shook and Faulkner's wagon works was discovered to be on fire. A number of citizens reached the location almost simultaneously. The alarm became general and in a few minutes, most of our people were at the scene.
Samuel Ellett built the first courthouse in 1820. It was completed ahead of schedule and at the cost of $400. By 1822, the first school opened, and with Samuel Ellett's children attended. When Indiana celebrated its sesquicentennial in 1987, a historical marker was placed to mark the grave of Edward Ellett, Sr.(c.1762-1833).
Ellettsville was incorporated as a village in 1866.