Editing Mitchell, Indiana (section)

==History==
Mitchell was built as a [[Rail transport|railroad]] town in the mid-19th century. At this location in Lawrence County, the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad, better known by the shorter name of "the [[Monon Railroad|Monon]]", was built as a north-south line from [[New Albany, Indiana|New Albany]] to [[Chicago]], passing through the area which became Mitchell in 1853. In 1857, the east-west [[Ohio and Mississippi Railway]] (later part of the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]]) was completed, as part of a link between [[Cincinnati]] and [[St. Louis]].

At the intersection of the two rail lines, a new town was planned. As the O&M railroad was surveyed, the owners of the land arranged for one of the surveyors, [[Ormsby M. Mitchel|Ormsby McKnight Mitchel]] (1810–1862), a [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] graduate and professor at the [[University of Cincinnati]], to [[plat]] their new town in exchange for naming it for him. (The second "L" in Mitchell was added later.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}) A native of Kentucky, Ormsby Mitchel grew up in [[Lebanon, Ohio]], and was also an [[Lawyer|attorney]] and notable [[astronomer]]. He later became a [[major general]] in the [[Union Army]] during the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865), and is best known for ordering the raid that became famous as the [[Great Locomotive Chase]]. He was known as "Old Stars". General Mitchel died of [[yellow fever]] while serving in [[Beaufort, South Carolina]]. [http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/image.php?img=185]

The town was incorporated in 1864,<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/historyoflawrenc00indi | title=History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana: Their People, Industries, and Institutions | publisher=B.F. Bowen | year=1914 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyoflawrenc00indi/page/40 40]}}</ref> becoming a city in 1907. Mitchell hosted a number of manufacturers, including (in 1919) the wagon, truck and bus body enterprises of [[Ralph H. Carpenter]] which became known as the [[Carpenter Body Company]]. [[School bus]] body production continued until 1995.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}}

In 1851, the Mitchell area was the birthplace of outlaw and [[Train robbery|train robber]] [[Sam Bass (outlaw)|Sam Bass]] (1851–1878). He was orphaned at age 13, but was apparently engaged in lawful activities until 1877, when he became an icon of the "wildness" of the [[American Old West]] as he robbed banks, [[stagecoach]]es and railroad trains before being fatally wounded by Texas Rangers the following year. Despite Bass' short-lived criminal career, he is remembered as part of a robbery of gold on September 18, 1877 which remains the largest robbery in [[Union Pacific Railroad]]'s history.

[[File:Grissom prepares to enter Liberty Bell 7 61-MR4-76.jpg|thumb|''U.S. astronaut Gus Grissom, native of Mitchell, Indiana, in front of the Liberty Bell 7 capsule, in which he became the second American to fly in outer space'']]
[[Image:Grissom memorial.jpg|thumb|upright|''The Gus Grissom Memorial in Mitchell, Indiana'']]
Mitchell was also the birthplace of astronaut [[Gus Grissom|Virgil "Gus" Grissom]] (1926–1967). A mechanical engineering graduate of [[Purdue University]], he joined the [[United States Air Force]] and was selected as a member of [[NASA]]'s [[Project Mercury]] space program. Gus Grissom was the second American to fly in space on [[Mercury-Redstone 4|Liberty Bell 7]] and also flew aboard [[Gemini 3]]. He died in a [[Apollo 1#Accident|launch pad fire]] at [[Kennedy Space Center]] in Florida during a training exercise for Apollo 1 on January 27, 1967.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NASA |date=December 1997 |title=NASA Astronaut Biography: Virgil I. Grissom |url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/grissom_virgil.pdf |website=Grissom, Virgil: NASA Biographical Data}}</ref>

[[Spring Mill State Park]] is located just east of Mitchell. It includes a memorial to Grissom as well as several caves and a pioneer village. The buildings in the village are original structures from the former mill town that was located here, recreations of buildings in the town, and other pioneer-era buildings that were moved to the park.

The Monon became part of the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]]. Both it, and the former B&O are now part of [[CSX Transportation]]'s rail network. In modern times, Mitchell is also served by the Union Pacific system.

In the late 20th century, Mitchell's downtown area was defined as a [[historic district]] that was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. The town developed an [[Urban Enterprise Zone]], and [[industrial park]], and at the end of the century, was working to attract new businesses and industry while also capitalizing on its heritage through antique shops and tourism.

The [[Mitchell Downtown Historic District]] and [[Mitchell Opera House]] are listed in the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>