Indiana's oldest city is older than the entire country!

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Hoosier History

It's been fun going on a trip through Hoosier history and learning about some of the oldest things across the state.  For instance, Indiana's oldest store was founded the same year Abraham Lincoln was elected President, and it's STILL open to this day! We also recently learned about the oldest high school in the state, and the oldest continually open high school (which happens to be right here in Evansville).

So with this fun trip through Hoosier history, I decided to look a little deeper into Indiana's oldest city, and it turns out this city is older than I realized!

Indiana's Oldest City

Being from Southern Indiana, it's well known around here that the oldest city in the state is Vincennes, Indiana.  But just how old is Vincennes?  It was founded in 1732.  Indiana didn't even become a state until 1816, and the United States of America was still 44 years away from the Declaration of Independence!

Vincennes, Indiana

Vincennes is well known for being Indiana's oldest city, but the city is home to much more history that shaped the Midwestern region's future. The Indiana State Museum explains:

Founded in 1732 in a part of the Midwest that belonged to France, Vincennes is Indiana’s oldest city. Over time, ownership of this town and area changed hands from France to Great Britain, and ultimately America following the Revolutionary War of 1776. In 1800, Congress created the Indiana Territory and named Vincennes its capital. The new territory was much larger than the State of Indiana today, including what is now Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and part of Minnesota. Here in Vincennes, Governor William Henry Harrison and others made important decisions that would influence the future of the entire Midwest.

Pretty neat, right?  If you want to check out Indiana's oldest city, it's not too far of a drive from Evansville! Only about an hour!