A history of Boswell,
since 1872
Postcards, papers and photographs of Boswell from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The town of Boswell was first laid out by Charles Moore, but Moore sold the land it occupied to Tippecanoe County-native Elizabeth H. Scott who, with her husband Charles, replatted it in its present form on July 18, 1872. A small general store run from a "rough board shanty" just north of the railroad was the town's first business, but this was joined by many more as the town grew. The town was named for Parnaham Boswell and was platted with streets bearing the names of the founders, Charles and Elizabeth, and their five children, Grace, Emma, Clinton, Harold and Jennie.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Boswell’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🗓️Date a photo1 archive item has no date+2 🔁Retake an old viewCorn crib on William Weltis' farm…, 1937: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Boswell, decade by decade
LOCCorn crib on William Weltis' farm near Boswell, Indiana1937
LOCCorn crib on William Keefe's owner-operated farm near Boswe…1937
LOCBarn on William Weltis' farm near Boswell, Indiana. This fa…1937
LOCBarn and silo on William Keefe's owner-operated farm near B…1937
LOCMachine shed on William Weltis' farm near Boswell, Indiana.…1937
LOCHouse and outbuildings on William Weltis' farm near Boswell…1937
LOCFarmhouse on C.V. Hibbs' eighty-acre farm near Boswell, Ben…1937
LOCHouse on William Keefe's owner-operated farm near Boswell, …1937
LOCBarn and only horse on C.V. Hibbs' eighty-acre farm near Bo…19371990s
unknown1 item
Nothing in Boswell is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Boswell has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Oxford Community Mausoleum in Oak Grove, 6.1 miles away.
Boswell and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Corn crib on William Weltis' farm near Boswell, Indiana (1937) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (5) and the Library of Congress (9). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.