Anderson History
The city of Anderson is named for Chief William Anderson, whose
mother was a Delaware (Lenape) Indian and whose father was of Swedish descent.
Chief Anderson's Indian name was Kikthawenund meaning "making a noise" or
"causing to crack" and is spelled in a variety of ways.
The settlers coming into Anderson referred to the village as
"Anderson Town." The Moravian Missionaries called it "The Heathen Town Four
Miles Away." Later it was known as "Andersontown." In 1844 the name was
shortened by the Indiana legislature to "Anderson."
Between 1853 and the late 1800's, twenty industries of various
sizes located here.
On March 31, 1887 natural gas was discovered in Anderson. With this
discovery several factories (i.e. glass, etc.) rushed to locate here. The
population increase made Anderson bulge at the seams. Other industries that
could use natural gas began to locate here over night.
In 1912 the natural gas ran out. Several factories left and the
whole city slowed down. The Commercial Club (formed on November 18, 1905) was
the forerunner of the present Chamber of Commerce. This club persuaded the Remy
Brothers to stay in Anderson and others to locate here. For decades Delco Remy
and Guide Lamp (later Fisher Guide) were the top two employers in the city.
In 1990 Anderson was the ninth largest city in Indiana with a
population of 59,518. The altitude of the city is 884 feet. The latitude is
40o6'27". The longitude is 85o40'43". The city of Anderson is located in parts
of four townships: Anderson, Union, Richland, and Lafayette.
Materials and content provided by the Anderson Public Library. For
more information about this great city visit their web site -
Anderson Public Library