Knightstown, IN

Knightstown grew at the meeting of road, river, and rail. Settled in 1819 and incorporated in 1827, it was platted by Waitsell M. Cary and named for Jonathan Knight, the engineer who surveyed the National Road. U.S. 40 crosses the town between the Big Blue River and Montgomery Creek, and the Terre Haute and Richmond railroad reached Henry County in the 1850s. That combination made Knightstown an early commercial center in a rich agricultural area; its downtown historic district retains the street plan and buildings of that period.

ATTRPublic domain

The town's most recognizable building is the Hoosier Gym. Opened in 1921 for Knightstown basketball, it became the Hickory Huskers' gym in the 1986 film Hoosiers and remains a museum and working court. The historic district, the old gym, annual Jubilee Days, and access to the Big Blue River give residents several ways to encounter the town's history within its compact center. Charles A. Beard Memorial School Corporation serves local students. Knightstown is a Henry County town where National Road, rail, basketball, and river geography still sit side by side.