BlockFrom the record
One of 31 National Register listings published here for Hamilton County · listed in 2019 · category: District.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Plum Prairie Residential Historic District
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.
The listing
- Address. Roughly bounded by Vine, Walnut, 7th, South, & 5th Sts. including blk. W. to 4th between Walnut & Pleasant Sts., Noblesville, 46060
- When was it listed? March 2019
- Category. district
- Township. Noblesville township
- National Register reference number. 100003502 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.
What happened here
An account from the chapter on Noblesville township. The inset identifies its exact source book and publication year.
A Dread Visitation
In 1850 Noblesville met with quite a misfortune which retarded its pros¬ perity for some years. The town was visited by an epidemic of cholera, and many succumbed to the dread disease. Mr. Shirts ably gives us this account of the epidemic. "In the year 1850, L. N. Emmons, on his way from Wash¬ ington city to his home in Noblesville was attacked by the cholera.
The ground it stands on
10,670 wordsThe chapter on Noblesville Township in History of Hamilton County Indiana, published 1915 names Noblesville. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
Authorities differ as to the naming of Xoblesville. The above is the version of Mr. Shirts and other early historians. Others, however, claim the town was named after Senator James Noble. Perhaps both in a measure are correct for Mr. Polk gave the town its name before it was chosen as the county seat. When the town site was chosen as the county seat and it then was discovered that the young lady had "gone back on" Mr. Polk, perhaps people in general as well as later historians considered Senator Noble a more fitting sponsor for the new town. The following incident is told concerning Noblesville at this early date. William Ritchie and his wife were traveling through this part of the country one day when they saw a lonely log cabin in a small clearing. Mrs. Ritchie exclaimed, "What a nice log house here in the woods!" to which Mr. Ritchie replied sarcastically, "This is Noblesville."
Passage source: History of Hamilton County Indiana, published 1915.
In March, 1824, a majority of the commissioners appointed to select a site for the county seat of Hamilton county, to-wit : Martin M. Ray, Benjamin J. Blythe and John Sample after examining all the available sites as well as inducements offered by other settlements except Strawtown, located the county seat at Noblesville, since which time Noblesville has remained as such. As an inducement Conner and Polk donated one-half of the lots owned by them for public improvements and public buildings, throwing in the public square and the fractional lots along White river for good measure.
Passage source: History of Hamilton County Indiana, published 1915.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Noblesville Township - 10,670 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Fires near this property
1 since 2004Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Plum Prairie Residential Historic District in 2004, burning under an acre in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 September 2004 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
Mines and quarries near this property
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Plum Prairie Residential Historic District: 4 producers, 1 past producer. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stony Creek Stone Company Ops | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Beaver Gravel Corp Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Riverwood Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Road Materials Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| U.S. Aggregates Inc. | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this property
60 of 81 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Noblesville, the town this property stands in, in 81 storm reports between 1994 and 2022: 29 thunderstorm wind, 26 hail, 12 flood, 9 lightning. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | 1 hurt, $60,000 | Based on a National Weather Service damage survey, it appeared the wind damage in Noblesville during the evening of Wednesday March 23 was caused by downbursting straight line winds. The majority of the damage was uprooted pine trees and downed Bradford Pear trees and limbs, both of which tend to be damaged by winds of 60 to 80 mph. The trees were laid down in an outward fanning or diverging pattern often found with a downburst wind event. Most trees west of State Road 37 were blown down by a strong south wind. Trees and fences east of State Road 37 were blown down by strong west-southwest winds. This damage occurred at the lead edge of the storm, not the usual location at the rear of the storm where a tornado typically would form. Other damage included stripped shingles and siding from around a dozen homes. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $250,000 | Widespread wind damage reported to emergency manager across the county. 30,000 power outages were reported with numerous tree and tree limbs snapped. |
| June 2008 | Lightning | Noblesville | $250,000 | A fire, believed to be started by lightning striking a tree parallel to the garage of a house on Westchester Boulevard in Noblesville, was not discovered until hours after initiation. The lightning likely reached the house via a utility line. Fire fighters were called around 5 AM EST by a passerby. Flames were still visible as late as 7 AM EST. |
| June 2007 | Lightning | Noblesville | $180,000 | There was confirmation of two houses being struck by lightning in the Westfield area. A firefighter was hurt when the ceiling of a house collapsed on him when he was inside the house. One house sustained substantial damage of $150,000 to $175,000. The other house had minor damage to the attic. |
| February 2008 | Lightning | Noblesville | $175,000 | A house was struck by lightning as storms moved through the area. When firefighters arrived, they found the home's basement in flames. It look them about an hour to completely put the fire out. The blaze originated in the basement utility room. The basement was destroyed. |
| May 1999 | Lightning | Noblesville | $70,000 | Lightning struck a house causing a fire in the attic. |
| June 2002 | Lightning | Noblesville | $60,000 | Lightning struck a house. |
| June 2019 | Flash Flood | Noblesville | $50,000 | Water rescues were occurring across parts of Noblesville due to thunderstorm heavy rainfall. |
| December 2015 | Tornado (EF1) | Noblesville | $50,000 | EF-1 tornado damage was observed near Smith Valley Road and State Road 135 with winds estimated at 107 mph. Tree trunks were snapped, an above ground pool was overturned, a portion of a wooden fence was destroyed, large tree branches were downed, and a few homes sustained roof, siding, garage damage. |
| January 2008 | Lightning | Noblesville | $50,000 | A house was struck by lightning in Westfield. A firefighter suffered a neck sprain while fighting the fire. |
| May 2006 | Lightning | Noblesville | $50,000 | Much of downtown Noblesville was plunged into darkness as a lightning strike induced fire took out a generator at a power station. |
| June 2015 | Flash Flood | Noblesville | $20,000 | RTV6 reported that a Noblesville man and a teenage girl were killed in a one-car crash after encountering flooding on a Hamilton County road early Saturday morning. The man, 39, was driving with three juveniles on Promise Road north of 181st Street just before 12:30 AM EDT. The high water caused his car to go off the road and strike a mailbox and utility pole, officials with the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office said. He was taken to Riverview Hospital where he died of his injuries. One of the passengers was a 16-year-old girl who was in the back seat of the car. She also died of her injuries. The other two juvenile passengers were taken to a Fishers hospital with minor injuries. |
| March 2008 | Flood | Noblesville | $15,000 | Flooding occurred along the White River in Hamilton County, including near Noblesville, due to heavy rain. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $15,000 | A tree fell on a minivan and tree limbs fell through the attic of a house due to damaging thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2007 | Lightning | Noblesville | $15,000 | Lightning struck Noblesville High School causing damage to the roof and three classrooms. Damage was caused by the flames of the fire and the smoke. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $10,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were downed in the old town area of Noblesville. The time this event occurred is estimated. |
| February 2008 | Flood | Noblesville | $10,000 | Flooding occurred along the White River in Hamilton County, including near Noblesville, due to heavy rain and snow melt. Flooding closed Indiana 19 between Logan Street and Field Drive. The Hamilton County Highway Department closed Casey Road between 193rd and 186th Streets, 193rd Street between Spring Mill Road and Six Points Road, Riverwood Drive in the Riverwood subdivision, Riverwood Avenue between 211th and 221st streets, Six Points between 216th and Indiana 38, Edith Avenue between River Road and 206th, and 246th between Cornell and Ray Parker roads. Sandbags have been handed out to several residents. |
| March 2007 | Flood | Noblesville | $10,000 | The White River flooded in Hamilton County. Crests were over 6 feet above flood stage. |
| July 2005 | Lightning | Noblesville | $10,000 | Lightning sparked a small fire in the master bathroom of a home in Noblesville. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to that area. The damage amount is estimated. |
| July 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Noblesville | $10,000 | Brief touchdown of a weak tornado just east of Noblesville near Durbin damaged a barn and outbuilding and blew down several trees. |
| February 2009 | Flood | Noblesville | $8,000 | Extensive lowland flooding occurred along the White River in Hamilton County, including in and near Noblesville, due to heavy rain. It affected agricultural land, Riverwood, campgrounds, the 116th Street area, parking of vehicles, and the lowest lying homes. Estimated flood damage is a rough estimate. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $7,000 | Trees were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. There was also wind damage done to a CVS store and a Speedway gas station. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $7,000 | The Hamilton County EMA reported numerous trees down within the town of Noblesville. The time and location of this event are estimated. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $5,000 | A gust front associated with storms to the north downed tree limbs across Hamilton county. |
| January 2007 | Flood | Noblesville | $5,000 | The White River in Hamilton County flooded briefly in mid-January. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $4,000 | Reports received via twitter showing several trees downed in and around the town of Noblesville. |
| March 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $2,000 | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $1,500 | Tree downed by winds onto house. |
| June 2019 | Flood | Noblesville | $1,000 | Standing water was observed on State Road 32 and 12 Street due to heavy rainfall. |
| June 2019 | Flood | Noblesville | $1,000 | Street flooding on Connor Street between 10th and 19th Street due to heavy rainfall. The road was barely passable. |
| April 2017 | Flood | Noblesville | $1,000 | A road near this location was flooded due to heavy thunderstorm rainfall. This report was received via social media. |
| March 2007 | Flood | Noblesville | $1,000 | The White River briefly flooded in Hamilton County. Crests were about 2.5 feet above flood stage. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $800 | Large tree limbs and branches were downed in this location due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $500 | Tree limbs were downed in this location due to damaging thunderstorm gusts. |
| April 2013 | Flood | Noblesville | $500 | Flooding was reported in the Noblesville area due to thunderstorm heavy rainfall. This report was received via Facebook. |
| April 2013 | Flood | Noblesville | $500 | The intersection of State Road 38 and Hague Road was closed due to thunderstorm heavy rainffall. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | $200 | Tree limbs, 1 to 2 inches around, were downed due to strong thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| March 2020 | Hail | Noblesville | - | Report relayed via mPing. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | - | A 65 mph thunderstorm wind gust was measured in this location. No damage was reported. |
| March 2011 | Hail | Noblesville | - | One and a half inch hail was reported in eastern Noblesville, near the intersection of Highways 32 and 37. |
| April 2009 | Flood | Noblesville | - | Flooding occurred along the White River in and near Noblesville, Indiana. The river crested 1.3 feet above flood stage at the Noblesville river gauge on April 7th at a reading of 15.3 feet. Flooding of this magnitude typically affects agricultural land, parks, campgrounds, and several roads. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Noblesville | - | A spotter at 191st Street and Durban Road also reported estimated wind gusts to 60 mph. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | - | A tree was blown down at the intersection of 156th Street and Parie Baptist Road due to damaging thunderstorm winds. |
| April 2006 | Hail | Noblesville | - | No property damage estimates were available. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | - | Trees were downed along State Road 19 near the White River. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | - | A large tree was downed. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | - | A wind gust to 60 mph was reported, along with tree limb damage near State Road 28. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | - | Trees down. |
| June 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | - | Large limbs blown down. |
| May 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Noblesville | - | Skywarn spotter measured 65 mph winds. |
| March 2021 | Hail | Noblesville | - | no account filed |
| March 2021 | Hail | Noblesville | - | no account filed |
| March 2020 | Hail | Noblesville | - | no account filed |
| March 2020 | Hail | Noblesville | - | no account filed |
| March 2020 | Hail | Noblesville | - | no account filed |
| February 2014 | Hail | Noblesville | - | no account filed |
| February 2014 | Hail | Noblesville | - | no account filed |
| April 2013 | Hail | Noblesville | - | no account filed |
| March 2012 | Hail | Noblesville | - | no account filed |
Map coverage status
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Listed places nearby
6 within 8 milesOther National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Noblesville Milling Company Mill | 0.3 miles | 2001 |
 | South 9th Street Historic District | 0.4 miles | 2001 |
 | Judge Earl S. Stone House | 0.5 miles | 1978 |
 | Robert L. Wilson House | 0.6 miles | 2008 |
 | Noblesville Commercial Historic District | 0.6 miles | 1991 |
 | Hamilton County Courthouse Square | 0.6 miles | 1978 |
Sources for this property
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 100003502 in Record Group 79. |
| Hamilton County | All 31 listed properties in this county. |
Provenance
- Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
- Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
- How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.