THE TOWN OF CLARKSVILLE Home / The Town of Clarksville IT BEGAN HERE Welcome to the Town of Clarksville, Indiana. ESTABLISHED IN 1783 HISTORY TOWN VS. CITY ESTABLISHMENT The Town of Clarksville, which bills itself as the “Oldest American Town in the Northwest Territory” was chartered in 1783 by the Virginia legislature. The original town was composed of 1,000 acres set aside from the grant of 150,000 acres the legislature donated to George Rogers Clark and his men. Ten trustees were named in the charter from Virginia. They were charged with the task of laying off lots of half an acre along with streets and public lots. The trustees could sell the lots and use the proceeds “…in such a manner as they may judge most beneficial for the inhabitants of the said town…” The trustees were empowered to elect successors for vacancies due to death or other disability, and the trustees did not have to reside in Clarksville to serve. Although this special status of non-resident trustees was challenged at various times in Clarksville’s early history as a town, the practice continued for several decades. The original Indiana State Constitution in 1816 provided a special exception for the Town of Clarksville to the requirement that officials live within the boundaries of the communities in which they hold office. The challenges of Clarksville residents to the self-perpetuating, non-resident trustee system were resolved in the late 19th century. The ten-member board stopped meeting in 1889. However, the three-member board that replaced it still may have consisted of non-residents, as one was appointed by the Floyd County commissioners, one appointed by the Clark County commissioners and one was elected by the residents of Clarksville. At some point between 1889 and 1937, the board changed again to five members, all residents of the town elected by its citizens. However, records of this change were lost in the 1937 flood. Two other changes occurred to bring Clarksville’s government to its present structure. In 1981, the State of Indiana recodified its statutes regarding local government, including changing the structure of town boards. Boards of trustees were designated town councils with council members rather than trustees. In 1990, the Clarksville Town Council expanded its membership from five to seven. The current council consists of one member elected from each of the five voting districts and two at-large members. Visit www.clarksvillehistoricalsociety.net for more information. WHO WE ARE SEE YOUR TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS CONTACT US (812) 288-7155 info@townofclarksville.com 2000 Broadway Street Clarksville, IN 47129 FACEBOOK TWITTER GOVERNMENT SmartGov Permit Portal Town Council Boards & Commissions Departments Town Municipal Code Comprehensive Plan Current Projects Staff Directory Building & Land Development Codes Agendas, Minutes, Ordinances & Resolutions Meeting & Events Calendar Online Services RESIDENTS BUSINESS EXPLORE About Clarksville Outdoors & Recreation Tourism Bureau Falls of the Ohio State Park Events Clarksville Restaurants Clarksville Hotels Shopping CLARKSVILLE WEATHER 44° clear sky 64% humidity wind: 3m/s SW H 47 • L 39 54° TUE 52° WED 63° THU 59° FRI Privacy Policy / Clarksville, Indiana © 2021 / All Rights Reserved We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read more