1805Architecture
The Treaty of Grouseland in 1805 opened the area to white settlers.
1811History
Between 1811 and 1815, Native Americans killed fifteen settlers.
1812Crime
Following the Pigeon Roost Massacre in 1812, a local skirmish known as the Battle of Tipton's Island took place between settlers and a group of hostile Indian raiders.
1816History
By 1816, only five families remained in the area.
1817Government
In 1817, the State of Indiana established a blockhouse to facilitate trade with the Lenape Indians until the natives ceded the area after the Treaty of St.
1822History
From 1822 to 1832, the county experienced significant depopulation.
1828Architecture
This location was the terminus of the north–south railroad at the Driftwood River before the purchase of 1828, and the construction of the rail bridge over the White River.
1851Culture
Although Indiana was a "free state", Article XIII of the state constitution of 1851 made it illegal for African Americans to settle in Indiana, and the Fugitive Slave Act permit...
1852Government
Seymour was established and mapped out on April 27, 1852, by Meedy and Eliza Ewing Shields, near the 1809 Indian Treaty Corner and about two miles south of Rockford, Indiana.
1853Infrastructure
The first settlers arrived at the intersection of these railroads - Seymour - in the spring of 1853.
1854Disaster
On June 29, 1854, the first train on the new Ohio and Mississippi Railroad stopped in Seymour and fired a celebratory cannon shot.
1855History
Charles White of the Presbyterian Church was the first to respond in 1855.
1857Government
Significant development didn't occur until 1857, when the state legislature, influenced by local landowner and Indiana State Senator Meedy Shields, passed a law requiring all tr...
1858Economy
In 1858, Blish Mill became the town's first mill.
1860Infrastructure
On April 20, 1860, an Adams Express package shipped from Nashville, Tennessee, and addressed to "Hannah Johnson [care of] Levi Coffin" burst open at Seymour while en route to Ci...
1863Military
Colonel Dunham, a Democrat, was accused of harboring Confederate sympathies and mustered out of the regiment in 1863 under a cloud of suspicion.
1864Military
The 50th Indiana was conspicuous at the Battle of Parker's Crossroads against Nathan Bedford Forrest, as was the 10th Indiana Cavalry in skirmishes near Pulaski and during the 1...
1865History
By 1865, Fielder Jones had been transferred to the 8th Indiana Cavalry and promoted to colonel, only a couple of months before being brevetted to Brigadier General.
1866Crime
A robbery of the Adams Express Car on the east-west Ohio and Mississippi line near Brownstown was reported in July 1866.
1871Military
The town's first high school was built in 1871 on the vacant lot of the disbanded civil war encampment.
1876History
The district developed between about 1876 and 1945 and includes notable examples of Italianate, Romanesque Revival, and Classical Revival style architecture.
1878Architecture
The stand resides in a building first constructed in 1878 and needed major repairs when the current owners bought the property in 2013 that included new flooring, a new kitchen,...
1881Economy
By 1881, Seymour had three mills within its city limits.
1884Disaster
The East Fork of the White River reached 27.50 feet (8.38 m) above the level recorded in the flood of 1884.
1893Military
The Ohio and Mississippi Railway, built westward, was acquired by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1893.
1894Architecture
It was built in 1894 and is a 2-and-one-half-story, Queen Anne style brick dwelling with a limestone foundation.
1900Sports
=== 20th century ===
Seymour fielded its own minor league team, the Seymour Reds, beginning in 1900.
1905Education
The Seymour Public Library opened to the public in January 1905, following a grant of $10,000 from the Carnegie Foundation in 1903 led by the Public-School Superintendent and Pr...
1907History
The Interstate Public Service interurban lines reached Seymour from Columbus in October 1907.
1910Military
The Evansville & Richmond Railroad (after 1910 the Chicago, Terre Haute & Southeastern Railroad (CTH&SE), or "the Milwaukee") was built eastward toward Richmond, reached Seymour...
1913Disaster
In 1913, the Great Flood hit Seymour causing widespread death and destruction.
1914Architecture
The building formally open on October 8, 1914.
1915Military
==== World Wars ====
On May 7, 1915, leading city-industrialist and scion of the Thompson family Eldridge Blish Thompson died during the sinking of the ocean liner RMS Lusitania.
1917Military
The sinking of the ocean liner was an important factor in President Woodrow Wilson's decision to ask Congress for a declaration of war in April 1917.
1939Infrastructure
Interstate merged into Midland United Company, leased to Indiana Railway, and all trains south of Seymour stopped running to Louisville in September 1939.
1941Education
One of Indiana's largest high school gymnasiums when it was built by Works Progress Administration workers in 1941, the James M.
1942History
He died in 1942, closing one of the longest-running G.A.R.
1944History
The last graduates were in May 1944; 4,245 total cadets.
1945Civil Rights
The Freeman Field Mutiny occurred in 1945, in which African American members of the 477th Bombardment Group attempted to integrate an all-white officers' club at Freeman Army Ai...
1946History
However, these operations, including the helicopter training missions were moved to other locations, and Freeman Field was deactivated and deeded to the city of Seymour in 1946.
1949Architecture
The 550-spot drive-in first opened on May 19, 1949, and aired its last feature films "Ghostbusters II" and "Karate Kid III" on September 30.
1958Education
The current facility opened in 1958 but the Archdiocese has offered private Catholic educational services to the community since 1858.
1959Education
Beginning in 1959, the city's former high school, Shields High School, was closed and all students transferred to the new Seymour High School west of town.
1961History
Trackage east of Seymour was "cut off" in 1961, and operations to Bedford closed in 1978.
1962Architecture
This includes local hotspots like The Townhouse Cafe, which first opened in 1962.
1970Education
By 1970, the school corporation completed the construction of the second-largest school gymnasium in the United States.
1973History
The Oktoberfest celebrates the city's German heritage and has been held annually since 1973.
1978History
Kessler Park was donated by the Kessler family in 1978.
1979History
It last sold in 1979 for $49,000 and was placed on the registry in 2010.
1981Sports
In 1981, the gym was renamed the "Lloyd E Scott" gymnasium in honor of the Indiana Hall of Fame basketball coach.
1983Civil Rights
After being found guilty of four counts of accepting bribes while in office, Christopher Moritz resigned as mayor on March 29, 1983.
1984History
Moritz began serving his sentence on December 8, 1984.
1985Economy
The City Hall has operated out of the former Southern Indiana Telephone and Telegraph Company since 1985.
1986Government
Governor John Mutz and community leaders at the Jackson County Industrial Development Corporation, Aisin constructed a factory in Seymour in 1986, with production beginning in 1...
1987Infrastructure
Seymour's east–west railroad, controlled by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad since the previous century, merged in 1987 into CSX Transportation, creating one of the largest Class...
1989Culture
In 1989, the Stardust Theater, a local landmark for fifty years, closed its gates for the last time.
1991Disaster
On July 8, 1991, the former Lynn Hotel, a local landmark first opened on July 1, 1883, collapsed due to disrepair and neglect.
1994Civil Rights
The 106 mi (171 km) north-south railroad line that serves Seymour was purchased by the Louisville and Indiana Railroad from Conrail in March 1994.
1995History
The entire district was placed on the register in 1995 although the Jonas Hotel later burnt to the ground and no longer exists.
1996Education
A local family purchased the long-vacant property in 1996, and later had to demolish the high school nearby.
1997Education
On May 29, 1997, the former Shields High School, first constructed in 1910, was razed during a botched demolition of a smaller portion of the building, the girls' gym.
1998History
On Christmas Day 1998, the historic Walton Hotel, first known at the Rader House, and then the Faulkner House, the Jonas Hotel, and the Centennial Hotel, burned to the ground in...
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,101 people, 7,231 households, and 4,743 families living in the city.
2003History
The freight house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 2003.
2004History
Investigations by local authorities into the deaths did not result in any charges against David Rust, who died in 2004.
2008Infrastructure
The Southern Indiana Railroad Freighthouse, has since January 2008 served as the Jackson County Visitor Center, for Jackson County, Indiana.
2010History
=== 2010 census ===
As of the census of 2010, there were 17,503 people, 6,907 households, and 4,514 families living in the city.
2011Culture
Scoop the Loop is a local weekend car show that started in 2011 but can trace its origins back to the years following WWII.
2012Government
In the 2012 election for Jackson County, Indiana, Republican candidate Mitt Romney secured a strong victory with 10,419 votes, accounting for 62.4% of the total votes.
2013Government
== Arts and culture ==
The Actors Community Theatre of Seymour (ACTS) is a non-profit organization founded in 2013.
2014Civil Rights
Its first production was in March 2014.
2016Infrastructure
The Seymour Diamond Crossing is a good place to also watch the east–west railroad line, which CSX upgraded in 2016 for reliable higher speed operation.
2019History
In November 2019, the city unveiled a large mural of John Mellencamp, painted on the side of a local guitar store.
2020History
Initial estimates suggested 200 new employees, but by 2020, Aisin employed more than 2,000 local residents.
2021History
New immigration cases filed for people in Jackson County—a proxy for migrant arrivals—jumped to 435 in the fiscal year ended in September, from 66 in 2021, according to the Tran...
2023History
Median household income in Seymour was $63,000 and the homeownership rate 57% in 2023, both below statewide averages.
2024History
In October 2024, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita issued a civil investigative demand to ensure the city complies with state immigration policies.