Editing Woodburn, Indiana (section)

==History==
In 1865 Joseph Edgerton and Joseph Smith platted the town of Woodburn, or Phelps Station as it was called at that time.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Griswold |first1=Bert Joseph |url=https://archive.org/details/pictorialhistory01gris |title=The Pictorial History of Fort Wayne, Indiana: A Review of Two Centuries of Occupation of the Region about the Head of the Maumee River |last2=Taylor |first2=Mrs. Samuel R. |publisher=Robert O. Law Company |year=1917 |page=[https://archive.org/details/pictorialhistory01gris/page/678 678]}}</ref> The two men chose this area due to the abundant timber, fertile ground, and nearby river. After
two large, accidental fires in the area Joseph Edgerton sent his son Edward Edgerton to Woodburn to sell off large tracts of land for farming.

This area was first known as Phelps Station due to the train depot. There were five families and a post office. In September 1865 the town was again platted with the name Woodburn due to the enormous wood burnings to clear the land. In 1895 a group of local men decided to incorporate the town into Shirley City in honor of Senator Robert B Shirley.

Once again in 1956 a special meeting was called where the decision was made to return the name to Woodburn and officially become the smallest 5th class city in Indiana.
The hard working pioneers who migrated to this area are to be commended for clearing the land for cultivation and implementing the drainage system. This cleared the way for commerce in the city.

The Stucky brothers started their business in Woodburn selling farm implements and repair. The grain elevator and train station were the leading businesses in the early days. Soon the small city became self-contained with everything from a bank, to grocery stores, drug store, furniture, doctors, blacksmith, restaurants, taverns, stockyard, hotel, butcher shop, brick and tile mill, automobiles, schools and churches.

Due to limited roads and abundant local business, community members did not have to travel outside of Woodburn for their basic needs.<ref>Gaylen Stetler of the Woodburn Historical Society. References: Home Community U.S.A. and Bringing Back the Good Old Days</ref>

The area surrounding Woodburn was [[Tornado outbreak of August 24, 2016|struck by an EF-3 tornado on August 24, 2016]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Tornado Outbreak August 24, 2016 |url=https://www.weather.gov/iwx/20160824_TornadoOutbreak |website=National Weather Service |access-date=September 29, 2024}}</ref>