Clarksville, Indiana

Located at the falls of the Ohio River, Clarksville's history extends back to the Revolutionary War. Named in honor of General George Rogers Clark, the town was founded in 1783. Captured here in over 200 vintage images are the trials and triumphs of America's first town established in the Old Northwest Territory. Despite its historical importance, many people are unaware of Clarksville's unique place in America's development of the Midwest. As well as being the recruitment location for Captains Lewis and Clark's nucleus of the Corps of Discovery, the little town was also the site of one of Indiana's earliest state prisons. Over the centuries, its identity wavered from prison town, Civil War camp, and the center of nightlife and gambling for the entire Louisville metropolitan area. With the housing boom of World War II, Clarksville's population soared. Pictured here are the residents, businesses, and homes that survived some of the town's most trying times and ultimately defined the area, including the Graninger Home, the original Club Greyhound, Camp Joe Holt, and infamous Cell House C.