In 1835, William Harris sectioned off his land—the area now known as and in —for the purpose of establishing a town. Harris used beech trees, elm trees, and hickory stumps to define the town's boundaries; he called it . The name Harrisburg was already in use elsewhere in Indiana, so Brownsburg, which paid homage to early settler James B. Brown, was selected as an alternative. Brownsburg's railroad station, located between Indianapolis and Crawfordsville, positioned the farming community for dramatic growth. As new settlers arrived, new businesses, mills, and factories also began to open. Today, Brownsburg continues to grow, and the community is known for its engineering and racing industries and its first-rate schools. Join author Linda Lichte Cook, a longtime resident of Brownsburg maintains the digital archives of images and historic documents known as the Brownsburg Then and Now/Indiana Memory Project as she showcases her town's rich history.