Your Source for Monrovia History

Roughly seven miles southwest of Mooresville is the town of Monrovia, in Monroe Township, Morgan County, Indiana.  Founded in 1834 (ten years after Mooresville), Monrovia was incorporated in 1995 and has a current population of 1,641, as of the 2020 U.S. Census, according to the town's website.

Google Map Showing Monrovia & Mooresville, Indiana

(Click Images to Enlarge)

Monrovia has a long and proud history, and Mooresville Public Library's Indiana Room has some of this information, but if you're really interested in Monrovia history, you should speak with the expert:  Steve Reeder, a history & psychology teacher at Monrovia High School.  Steve knows the history of Monrovia, Monroe Township (and neighboring Gregg Township), and northern Morgan County like the proverbial back of his hand.  His general Morgan County historical knowledge is pretty awesome, too.  When I have a question about Monrovia and vicinity, I contact Steve.  So should you.

Steve Reeder

Monrovia High School

In 2021, Steve received the WISH-TV Channel 8 Golden Apple Award for outstanding teaching, particularly in preserving and promoting history (and, specifically, local history) for and to students and the overall community.

Steve works with students at Monrovia High School to create exemplary local history videos in his Monrovia Moments series, available to watch free on YouTube.  Everyone interested in Monrovia history should definitely subscribe to this channel.  You won't find better local history videos on the Internet.

Besides consulting Steve, those of you with local history questions should also visit the Monrovia History website, as well as the Monrovia Branch of Morgan County Public Library.  For Morgan County history in general, you should visit the Genealogy Department at Morgan County Public Library (main branch in Martinsville), as well as the Morgan County History Center & Museum (also in Martinsville).  Another terrific resource is the Morgan County History & Genealogy Association website.  Of course, Mooresville Public Library's Indiana Room also has many local history materials for the region (and for Indiana overall), so you should surely visit there, too.

Arthur C. Newby (Famous Mooresvillian)

Arthur C. Newby (1865-1933) was born and raised near Monrovia, Indiana, but owned land in Mooresville that became an important part of local education here (see below).  Newby was an early bicycle and automobile manufacturer and co-founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  He moved to Indianapolis in 1881 seeking employment and was a middle manager for the firm of Nordyke & Marmon.  In the 1890s, Newby co-founded the Zig-Zag Cycling Club, and, along with Charles E. Test and Edward Fletcher, he established the Indianapolis Chain & Stamping Company, which later became the Diamond Chain Company.  By the end of the 1890s, Newby’s business was supplying roughly 60 percent of American-made bicycle chains.  From 1894 to 1899, Newby was also associated with Hay & Willits Manufacturing Company, which made Outing bicycles, a popular brand.

Arthur C. Newby (1865-1933) (see obituaries here)

In 1898 Newby teamed with James A. Allison and Carl G. Fisher to construct the Newby Oval, a bicycle racing track near 30th Street and Central Avenue in Indianapolis.  This trio later founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909. By the turn of the 20th century, Newby focused upon automobile manufacture, co-founding the National Motor Vehicle Company, which built electric and gasoline-powered automobiles.

 

 Newby Elementary School under construction (April, 1936)

(Photo courtesy of the Mooresville High School Alumni Association)

Dedication Program for William & Milton Newby Memorial Elementary School

(March 30, 1937)

 

“In 1920, Arthur C. Newby gave a 140 acre farm (located west of Mooresville near Bingham and Greencastle Roads), together with considerable other property, to the Mooresville School Association. His wishes were that they be sold and proceeds used toward the creation of a new school with the stipulation that it be named in memory of his uncles, William and Milton Newby. Mooresville’s existing elementary school, the Academy Building which originally housed MHS [Mooresville High School], was filling more and more each year. The William and Milton Newby Memorial Elementary School was decided upon and plans were drawn in 1935. Construction began in January 1936. The cost was approximately $93,000. The architectural style was Georgian Colonial. The new building included ten classrooms, a recreation room, cafeteria and kitchen, four dressing rooms, the principal’s office, a suite for first aid, music and art supervisor’s office, teachers’ rest rooms, a workshop for the custodians and a large storage room were also included in the plan. The school grounds covered about eight acres of picturesque rolling and wooded lot.” [Quoted from Susan Haynes (2016).  William and Milton Newby Memorial Elementary School. Mooresville, Indiana: Mooresville Consolidated School Corporation.]

There's also a video about Arthur Newby (below).

Arthur C. Newby, Mooresville's Quiet Philanthropist

(Mooresville Moments #19)

Two-Twenty-Two-Twenty-Two

Click Photos to Enlarge

On February 22, 1922 (that's 2/22/22, at least in the U.S.), Mooresville High School students celebrated a basketball victory over Monrovia High School (24 points to 22 points) around the "silent policeman" pedestal (built by Raymond King) in the middle of the intersection of Main and Indiana Streets in downtown Mooresville, Indiana.  "Yell leaders" (what we now call cheerleaders) Delbert Wilson and Merle "Pinhead" Harvey stand atop the "silent policeman."

Note the horse carriage and the automobile, which were parked in separate areas "reserved" for horse-drawn vehicles (on North Indiana St.) and motor vehicles (on East Main St.) The I.O.O.F. building is in the background, where today (2015) stands Paul Hadley mini-park.  (UPDATE:  In 2017 the area became Mooresville Bicentennial Park.)

Note, too, that the "silent policeman" has been positioned incorrectly--it should have been turned 180 degrees to correctly designate directions to the cities listed. (The stand could be moved. This was a popular prank among high schoolers from neighboring communities. They would steal the "silent policeman" and haul it away somewhere, and Mooresville police would have to bring it back.)

 

"Two-Twenty-Two-Twenty-Two"

by Mooresville Public Library

(Mooresville Moments #27)