Barbersville, Indiana, Knox County: Nestled in the heart of Knox County, Barbersville was once a bustling town. Now, whispers of its past linger amid the overgrown fields. Below is detailed information about the town.
County: Knox County
Zip Code: Not available
Latitude / Longitude: 38.7506° N, 87.4050° W
Elevation: Approximately 450 feet
Time Zone: Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT)
Established: Early 1800s
Disestablished: Late 1800s
Comments: Barbersville was a small rural community that contributed to Knox County’s agricultural development. It thrived primarily due to its location in a fertile farming region. However, the town began to decline when transportation routes changed, bypassing Barbersville and eventually leading to its abandonment.
Remains: Few physical remains of Barbersville exist today. Some foundations and remnants of buildings can still be found scattered throughout the area, hidden beneath the dense foliage and farmland that have reclaimed the land.
Barbersville was probably preceded by the town of Edinburgh, which was platted on Nov. 3, 1815, and recorded in the Jefferson County deed records. No legal land definitions were included, but a rough map showed the land of the proprietors, Wilson Buchanan, George Benefiel, and James Whitton, who were neighboring landowners, all of whom had land in the Barbersville area.
They laid out sixty-four lots around a public square, filed in Jefferson County Deed Book A, page 174.
Current Status: Ghost town
Remarks: Barbersville poignantly reminds us of the transient nature of settlements and the impact of changing transportation and economic patterns. While it no longer exists as a community, its story is preserved in the memories of Knox County’s history and the faint traces that mark its former existence.
The Barbersville Post Office operated from Dec. 7, 1826, to Nov. 19, 1838, and then was transferred to nearby Buchanan’s Station in Ripley County. The Canaan Post Office in Shelby Township then provided mail service.
The government re-established Barberville’s office on June 27, 1848, and it operated until May 31, 1906, when service was transferred to Canaan.
