Gasburg, History

The co-founder of Monrovia Indiana, Gideon Johnson, is reported to have named, or been the namesake of the village of Gasburg. There are two legends surrounding the name. In one, the town was named after the "windiest" man in the county, Gideon Johnson, honoring his tall tales and "gas." The other legend refers to the "Athenian Debating Society," which in the late 1800s, held meetings on Saturday afternoons in the summer and Friday evenings in the winter. This story tells of the town being nicknamed by local cynics who made fun of all the "gas" blown off during the debates. In either case, the name proclaims a rich oratory history.

January 13, 1874 the first post office was established by John Weesner. The original name of the office was not available, but on October 12, 1892, the office closed and reopened as "Gasburg." On May 31, 1904 the post office closed.

Sometime after 1920, the town had a gas station, blacksmith, harness and shoe shop, and a general merchandise wagon, also known as a huckster wagon. The wagon worked out of the building which had been the Gasburg School.

The "People's Guide and Directory," of Morgan County recorded the following list of persons living in or near Gasburg in 1874.

ALLEN, SARAH, farmer, born in North Carolina, 1818.

ALLRED, WILLIAM R., farmer, born in North Carolina, 1838.

AYERS, JIDTHAM, blacksmith, born in North Carolina, 1824.

AYERS, WILLIAM, blacksmith, born in North Carolina, 1831.

BRAY, WILLIAM, farmer, born in North Carolina, 1795.

BRAY, WILLIAM M., farmer, born in Indiana, 1839.

BREWER, E.H., farmer, born in Indiana, 1843.

BREWER, HENRY, farmer, born in Tennessee, 1812.

BREWER, JOHN W., farmer, born in Indiana, 1854.

CHAMBERS, BAXTER K., farmer and trader, born in North Carolina, 1825.

CHAMBERS, WILLIAM A., farmer, born in Indiana, 1853.

CASAND, WILLIAM, farmer and harness maker, born in North Carolina, 1841.

GREGORY, JOHN, born in Indiana, 1842.

GUYER, JOSEPH, farmer, born in North Carolina, 1784.

HITE, SANFORD, farmer, born in Kentucky, 1840.

JOHNSON, CALVIN, farmer, born in Indiana, 1833.

LINDLEY, O.W., farmer, born in North Carolina, 1815.

LONG, ESTHER, farmer, born in Indiana, 1831.

LONG, WILLIAM K., farmer, born in Kentucky, 1821.

LANE, JASPER, farmer, born in Ohio, 1840.

PLUMMER, WILLIAM, farmer, born in Indiana, 1823.

REAMES, JOHN, log hauler, born in Ohio, 1836.

THOMPSON, WILLIAM O., farmer, born in North Carolina, 1825.

WARD, DAVID W., carpenter, born in Indiana, 1849.

WARD, STEPHEN, farmer, born in North Carolina, 1811.

WARD, WILLIAM T., merchant, born in Illinois, 1837.

WEESNER, JOHN, carpenter and Post master, born in North Carolina, 1835.

WEESNER, JOSIAH, farmer, born in North Carolina, 1813.

Web Page Designed and Created by Ron Riggan for SCICAN Corporation - May 1998.

All photographs and graphics by Ron Riggan. Text written and researched by Marsha Riggan.