Batesville grew quickly from the time it was first platted in 1852.The town was incorporated in 1882 and a need for a building to house city offices became necessary.
A new Town Hall was dedicated on February 14, 1888. The dedication ceremony consisted of many events with the main affair being a masquerade ball.
Many events took place in the Town Hall during its lifetime, including a concert by a musician named Rheinspfaelzer Lindenbrantz from Cincinnati May 6, 1888, with an admission of 25 cents per person. There was also a program by the American Sunday School on June 18, 1893 which included lots of greenery, blooming plants, and canaries singing in cages.
After serving as the center of city government for thirty-five years, the building proved to be inadequate for the town's growing needs. In April, 1922 the city moved its offices temporarily to the old school located on Sycamore, South, and Catherine streets. The old Town Hall would be torn down, replaced by the Memorial Building, which still serves the community in the same site.
History
The History of Batesville!
Batesville earned its "Best Little City in America" nickname from the beginning. Native Americans roamed the rich loam, old growth forests and creeks that provided the right climate to grow valuable hardwoods like oak, black walnut, wild cherry, ash and poplar. No wonder the Shawnee cherished this slice of the earth for its beauty.
Both the French and British explored Ripley County, while american settlers didn't arrive until 835 when Teunis Amack purchased 120 acres and built his log cabin. Seventeen years later, he sold his homestead to the Callahan Trust Company, which broke up the acreage into 45 lots for a town on the main line off the Lawrenceburg-Upper Mississippi River Railroad. This new community was supposedly named after Joshua Bates, an engieer, surveyor and member of the Callahan Trust Company who bought the first lot (there are those who contend the town honrs Harvey Bates, the rairoad's director).
The forest attracted German immigrants, many of whom found Batesville while traveling the rail system to Oldenburg. By 1853, that transportation line stretched westward to Indianapolis, further connecting the rural town to the hum of Midwestern life. Before the turn of the century, Batesville stood as a thriving commercial center, thanks to the sawmills. It was the first city west of Cincinnati to install electric streetlights.
A group of citizens have recently come together to form the Batesville Main Street Board. Our Board’s goal is to help Batesville become more economically successful while still maintaining our small-town feel with a beautiful and vibrant downtown that attracts both visitors and current residents.
In a few weeks the board will be meeting to develop a strategic plan with specific work plans for each Main Street Committee: Organizational; Promotion; Design & Planning; and Economic Restructuring. We have already gathered data and information from previous workgroups the city has assembled. We also want input from community members like you as we develop these work plans. Please take a few moments to complete our survey. If you would like to be involved with this catalytic team of people that are committed to Batesville’s future, please leave your e-mail in the space provided in the survey.
Click on the link above to complete your survey.
Only one survey per computer can be completed so if the link does not take you to the survey, someone else may have submitted the survey on that computer. If you need a paper copy of the survey, please contact Trish Hunter at 933-5265 or e-mail at trish.hunter@mmch.org.
Results of the survey will be shared after the strategic planning meeting is held in mid-August.
Thank you for your time and commitment to our community.
Sincerely,
Batesville Main Street Board Members
Susan Glaser Kathleen Jeffers
Greg Grothaus Victor Sarringhaus
Scott Henderson Steve Stein
Trish Hunter Melissa Tucker
Adam Isreal
