Originally occupied by the Shawnee Indians, Floyd County was claimed by George Rogers Clark during his westward exploration during the American Revolution from the British. After peace was restored in the nation, Clark sold the land to settlers moving west. The area became populated enough in 1818 that the City of New Albany was formed and they could formulate into a county. Representatives were sent to the state capital, which was Corydon, IN at the time, and the county was officially established on February 1, 1819 (“Floyd County, Indiana”, n.d.).
The origin of the name of the county is debated. Some believe that it was named after Colonel John Floyd. Col. John Floyd played an integral role in the area during the American Revolution and shortly thereafter. He was a friend of George Rogers Clark and Daniel Boone. During the American Revolution he was captured and taken to England, where Benjamin Franklin was able to arrange for his return home to the Floyd County area. Others believe Davis Floyd, John Floyd’s nephew, was who Floyd County was named after. Davis was an established politician in the area and served as the first judge of Floyd County. He did get entangled in the work of Aaron Burr, and was arrested and sentenced to 3 hours in jail and had to pay a $10 fine, though. No matter which is true, the name did come from the Floyd family. (“the history”, n.d.)
Floyd County played an important role during the Civil War. While there is some history of slavery in Floyd County due to the fact that many slave owners moved across the river from Kentucky to Indiana, Floyd County was one of the main stops on the Underground Railroad as enslaved African Americans tried to escape to Canada. Escaped slaves would leave metropolitan Louisville, by ferry, swimming, wadding or walking across the Ohio River into Indiana. They would then find refuge in free African American neighborhoods or even hid in places such as churches or individual homes (Peters, 2020).
During the 1850’s and 60’s Floyd County attracted immigrants from Irish, German, French and African American origins. By the end of the 1850s, one in every 6 people were born in other countries. This huge boom of people impacted the county positively. A survey in the 1850’s found that Floyd County had the richest population in the state with over half of Indiana's population making more than $100,000 per year living in Floyd County (“Floyd County, Indiana”, n.d.).
Much of the wealth found in Floyd County comes from the rich ship-building industry, not only due to the close proximity to the Ohio River but also because of the abundance of forests and lumber. There were also many other spin off industries such as furniture, building machines, silversmith shops and glass making. The increase of railroad traffic also allowed for the county's abundance of wealth. Plywood and Veneer became later exports for the county (Mcafee, 2021).