Jeffersonville, Indiana

===20th and 21st century===

==== Construction of the Carnegie Library ====
[[File:Carnegie Library Jeffersonville.jpg|thumb|Frontal view of the [[Carnegie library|Carnegie Library]] in [[Warder Park]], Jeffersonville]]
On December 17, 1900, Jeffersonville officially opened a new [[Jeffersonville Township Public Library]] in a room above the Citizens National Bank. 1400 books formed the initial collection. Soon, the [[Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching|Carnegie Foundation]] donated $16,000 for the construction of a new library building - a [[Beaux-Arts architecture|beaux arts]], copper-domed landmark. The building was designed by Jeffersonville [[architect]] [[Arthur Loomis]]. Masonic officials laid the building's cornerstone on September 19, 1903, in [[Warder Park]].<ref name="Nokes-2002" /> When the [[Carnegie library|Carnegie Library]] opened in 1905, it contained 3,869 volumes. Whereas in later years grants from the Carnegie Foundation were scaled back to prevent the construction of lavish libraries, the library in Warder Park was relatively ornate.<ref>{{Cite web|last=THOMAS|first=LARRY|title=Jeffersonville celebrates rebirth of Carnegie Library|url=https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/jeffersonville-celebrates-rebirth-of-carnegie-library/article_8a073a5f-714b-530a-b51e-0340af3d4c76.html|access-date=October 8, 2021|website=News and Tribune|date=October 26, 2006|language=en|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008171314/https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/jeffersonville-celebrates-rebirth-of-carnegie-library/article_8a073a5f-714b-530a-b51e-0340af3d4c76.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Due to the [[Ohio River flood of 1937|Ohio River Flood of 1937]], the library suffered a near total loss of its collection. However, it reopened in November 1937 thanks to months of work and donations of money and books.<ref name="Nokes-2002" />

==== World War I ====
[[File:Jeffersonville IN American Car and Foundry Co 1909.jpg|thumb|The [[American Car and Foundry Company]] in Jeffersonville, Indiana, 1909]]
During [[World War I]], Jeffersonville contributed to the war effort largely through its production capabilities. On the eve of war, the Quartermaster Depot began producing a wide range in items, including [[Saddle seat|saddles]], harnesses, stoves, and kitchen utensils. Most famously, though, the depot produced 700,000 shirts per month, earning it the nickname "America's largest shirt factory."<ref name="Nokes-2002" /> Meanwhile, the [[American Car and Foundry Company]]'s local plant manufactured a variety of products ranging from components for over 228,000 [[artillery]] [[Shell (projectile)|shells]] to 18,156 cake turners.<ref name="Nokes-2002" />

Shortly after the war ended in 1918, civilian employment at the Quartermaster Depot fell to 445, and military presence dropped to just ten [[officer]]s and two [[Enlisted rank|enlisted]].<ref name="Nokes-2002" />

==== Religious revivals in the 1920s ====
{{See also|Roy Elonzo Davis|William M. Branham}}

For a brief period in the mid-1920s and early 1930s, [[Roy Elonzo Davis|Roy E. Davis]], a founding member of the 1915 [[Ku Klux Klan]], hosted a series of [[Revival meeting|religious revivals]] in Jeffersonville.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 22, 1930|title=Davis Is Released In Police Court|work=The Courier Journal}}</ref> He also moved his First Pentecostal Baptist Church there, and held revivals in neighboring states. Meanwhile, he routinely challenged the ''Jeffersonville Evening News'' for its depiction of his church, eventually starting a new publication called ''The Banner of Truth'' to publicize his services and aid recruitment.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 18, 1931|title=Church Publicity Policy Explained|work=Jeffersonville Evening News}}</ref> Much of his popularity stemmed from his vocal opposition of [[Prohibition in the United States|prohibition]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Davis|first=Roy|date=February 5, 1930|title=A Preacher On Prohibition|work=The Courier Journal}}</ref>

In 1934, a fire destroyed Davis's First Pentecostal Baptist Church. After years of legal trouble, Davis was denied a permit to rebuild. He left Jeffersonville, and [[William M. Branham|William Branham]] - formerly a ministering elder in Davis's church - became [[pastor]] of the congregation. Branham moved the group to a new building, eventually naming it [[Branham Tabernacle]], as it is known today.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021|reason=Need a source for verification}}

==== Flood of 1937 ====
{{See also|Ohio River flood of 1937}}
Jeffersonville was one of many communities affected by the Ohio River flood of 1937. After record rainfall in mid-January, 90% of the city was flooded, electricity was lost, all roads leading into the city were covered, and a levee failed. The [[Indiana National Guard]] deployed to the area to help those displaced, distribute much-needed emergency supplies, inoculate residents for typhoid fever, and purify drinking water. Finally by the end of the month the water began to recede. The flood left an estimated $250 million worth of damage throughout the Ohio Valley.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Slavey |first1=Ashley |last2=Simms |first2=Megan |last3=Cunningham |first3=Wes |last4=Brumfield |first4=Eric |last5=Morrison |first5=Katy |title=Great Flood of 1937 |url=https://publichistory.iupui.edu/items/show/150 |access-date=September 14, 2022 |website=Discover Indiana |language=en |archive-date=September 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914195355/https://publichistory.iupui.edu/items/show/150 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=NOAA |title=The Great Flood of 1937 |url=https://www.weather.gov/lmk/flood_37 |access-date=September 14, 2022 |website=www.weather.gov |language=EN-US |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004002220/https://www.weather.gov/lmk/flood_37 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== "Little Las Vegas" ====
[[File:Jeffersonville, Indiana City Hall.jpg|thumb|220px|City Hall in the Quadrangle complex]]
In the 1930s and 1940s, gambling was instrumental in Jeffersonville's recovery from the [[Great Depression]] and the Flood of 1937. This earned the town the nickname "Little [[Las Vegas]]".<ref>{{Cite web|last=West|first=Gary|title=Club Greyhound had many colorful characters, stories|url=https://www.bgdailynews.com/community/club-greyhound-had-many-colorful-characters-stories/article_9f159709-c531-5da2-90c9-4998954c8853.html|access-date=October 7, 2021|website=Bowling Green Daily News|date=August 5, 2018|language=en|archive-date=October 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007194916/https://www.bgdailynews.com/community/club-greyhound-had-many-colorful-characters-stories/article_9f159709-c531-5da2-90c9-4998954c8853.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During this time, Jeffersonville attracted the likes of [[Clark Gable]], [[John Dillinger]], [[Al Capone]], and others. After Clarence Amster, a [[New Albany, Indiana|New Albany]] resident was gunned down on July 2, 1937, public sentiment turned against gambling and the mobsters it brought. In 1938, James L. Bottorff was elected judge and announced that gambling would not be tolerated. The Club Greyhound, a major dog racing track known for fixing races, was raided and closed within a year, with others soon following.<ref>{{Cite web|last=BOYLE|first=JOHN|title=NOW AND THEN: Goons, gambling, Greyhounds in Little Las Vegas|url=https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/now-and-then-goons-gambling-greyhounds-in-little-las-vegas/article_7ec5fc96-d7ce-11e9-a036-63975d1c7c00.html|access-date=October 7, 2021|website=News and Tribune|date=September 15, 2019|language=en|archive-date=October 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007194706/https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/now-and-then-goons-gambling-greyhounds-in-little-las-vegas/article_7ec5fc96-d7ce-11e9-a036-63975d1c7c00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== World War II ====
Having acquired the [[Howard Shipyards]] in 1925, the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] awarded the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Company (later known as [[Jeffboat]]) a contract to build boats during [[World War II]]. Jeffboat built landing vessels such as the [[Landing Ship, Tank|LST]], and swelled in number of employees from 200 to 13,000 people. After the war ended, the Navy sold the Howard Shipyard to Jeffboat.<ref name="Grady" />

Also during [[World War II]], the Quartermaster Depot, in conjunction with [[Fort Knox, Kentucky|Fort Knox]], Kentucky, housed [[Germany|German]] [[prisoners of war]] until 1945.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qmfound.com/jeffersonville.htm |title=Jeffersonville Quartermaster Intermediate Depot - History and Functions |publisher=Qmfound.com |access-date=July 28, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802012558/http://www.qmfound.com/jeffersonville.htm |archive-date=August 2, 2010  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indianamilitary.org/CA%20POWs/POW-GERMAN/Camp%20Austin%20Report/Camp%20Austin%20Rpt.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525050517/http://www.indianamilitary.org/CA%20POWs/POW-GERMAN/Camp%20Austin%20Report/Camp%20Austin%20Rpt.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 25, 2011 |title=The German Prisoner of war camp in Indiana }}</ref>

==== End of segregation ====
Jeffersonville ended [[Racial segregation|segregation]] in its public schools in 1952, two years before the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] case ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' ruled that segregation was [[Constitutionality|unconstitutional]]. Prior to this, [[Jeffersonville High School]] was reserved for white high school students. Meanwhile, black students in grades one through twelve were sent to Taylor High School.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Reel|first=Greta|date=May 12, 2020|title=The History and Legacy of Jeffersonville's Taylor High School|url=https://thehyphennews.com/2020/05/12/taylor-high-school-jeffersonville/|access-date=October 8, 2021|website=JHS Hyphen Newspaper|language=en|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008202051/https://thehyphennews.com/2020/05/12/taylor-high-school-jeffersonville/|url-status=live}}</ref> While the [[The New York Times|New York Times]] held up Jeffersonville as a model for all "southern-minded" cities, integration came at a cost. Though black students were allowed to attend the newly integrated Jeffersonville High School, black instructors previously employed at Taylor High School were terminated.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stepro|first=Diane|title=Taylor High School - Segregated Education in Jeffersonville, 1872-1954|url=https://publichistory.iupui.edu/items/show/563|access-date=October 8, 2021|website=Discover Indiana|language=en|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008202051/https://publichistory.iupui.edu/items/show/563|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Missing information|section|50 years of history and development|date=October 2021}}

====Annexation====

On February 5, 2008, the city of Jeffersonville officially annexed four out of six planned annex zones.<ref>[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1714061801.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Feb+8%2C+2008&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=B.1&desc=Jeff+absorbs+4+annexed+areas Jeff absorbs 4 annexed areas](by Harold J. Adams) ''[[Courier Journal]]'' February 8, 2008 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103095223/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1714061801.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Feb+8,+2008&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=B.1&desc=Jeff+absorbs+4+annexed+areas |date=November 3, 2012 }}</ref> The proposed annexation of the other two zones was postponed due to lawsuits. One of the two areas remaining to be annexed was [[Oak Park, Indiana|Oak Park]], Indiana an area of about 5,000 more citizens. The areas annexed added about {{convert|5500|acre|km2}} to the city and about 4,500 citizens, raising the population to an estimated 33,100. The total area planned to be annexed was {{convert|7800|acre|km2}}. The areas received planning and zoning, building permits and drainage issues services immediately, with new in-city sewer rates. Other services were phased in, such as police and fire, and worked jointly with the pre-existing non-city services until they were available.<ref>[http://newsandtribune.com/clarkcounty/x519375379/Parts-of-Jeffersonville-annexation-official Parts of Jeffersonville annexation official] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714174858/http://newsandtribune.com/clarkcounty/x519375379/Parts-of-Jeffersonville-annexation-official |date=July 14, 2011 }} (by David Mann) ''[[The Evening News (Jeffersonville)|The Evening News]]'' February 8, 2008</ref>

The Clark County Courts dismissed the lawsuits against the city on February 25, 2008.<ref>[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1714078301.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Feb+26%2C+2008&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=B.1&desc=Jeffersonville+annexation+challenge+is+rejected Jeffersonville annexation challenge is rejected](Ben Zion Hershberg) ''[[Courier Journal]]'' February 26, 2008 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103095355/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courier_journal/access/1714078301.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Feb+26,+2008&author=&pub=Courier+-+Journal&edition=&startpage=B.1&desc=Jeffersonville+annexation+challenge+is+rejected |date=November 3, 2012 }}</ref> This dismissal brought the remaining Oak Park area into the city. The population of the city grew to nearly 50,000 citizens, making it the largest annexation in Jeffersonville's history.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

====Big Four Pedestrian Bridge and Big Four Station====
{{see also|Big Four Bridge}}
[[File:2016 WIKI JeffersonvilleBig4Station June14.jpg|thumb|Big Four Station is a park that opened in 2014 at the base of the Big Four Bridge.]]Conceived in the 1990s and completed in 2014, the [[Big Four Bridge]] was converted to a [[pedestrian bridge]] in a joint effort between Kentucky and Indiana governments. An average of 1.5 million pedestrians and bicycles cross the roughly-1/2 mile bridge each year. 1/4 mile ramps complete the bridge on each end. The bridge is also decorated with a colorful LED lighting system that operates from twilight to 1 am. The lights can be customized by request.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Big Four Bridge {{!}} Waterfront Park|date=May 25, 2008|url=https://ourwaterfront.org/feature/big-four-bridge/|access-date=October 11, 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=October 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027181814/https://ourwaterfront.org/feature/big-four-bridge/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On the Jeffersonville side of the bridge the city constructed Big Four Station, a plaza and park. The park features green space, fountains, a farmers market on Saturdays, a restroom, a bike-sharing station, a pavilion, a playground, and easy access to downtown shops and restaurants.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 9, 2015|title=Big Four Bridge and Big Four Station - Jeffersonville Main Street, Inc.|url=https://www.jeffmainstreet.org/downtown-revitalization/big-four-bridge/|access-date=October 11, 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=October 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025105443/https://www.jeffmainstreet.org/downtown-revitalization/big-four-bridge/|url-status=live}}</ref> Big Four Station is also the home of the annual [[Abbey Road on the River]], the largest Beatles-inspired music festival in the world, as well as other annual celebrations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://www.arotr.com/about-1|access-date=October 11, 2021|website=Abbey Road on the River: May 26–30, 2022|language=en-US|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028165649/https://www.arotr.com/about-1|url-status=live}}</ref>