Elias Abel House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

From the record

“The Elias Abel House is a historic building in western Bloomington, Indiana, United States. Built in the Greek Revival style in 1845, it was once the grand home of one of Bloomington's leading citizens.”
Wikipedia article Elias Abel House, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 48 National Register listings published here for Monroe County · listed in 1982 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Listed as. Abel, Elias, House - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
Address. 317 N. Fairview St., Bloomington, 47404
When was it listed? February 1982
Category. building
Township. Bloomington township
Architectural style. Greek Revival architecture
National Register reference number. 82000023 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

The ground it stands on

13,530 words

The chapter on Bloomington Township in 1884 History of Monroe County Indiana, published 1884 names Bloomington. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

The first man to settle permanently upon the present site of the city of Bloomington cannot be named with absolute certainty. Neither can the time of this first settlement be given. The first entries of land were as follows :

Passage source: 1884 History of Monroe County Indiana, published 1884.

At the time of the organization of the county, of course the population was sufficient to warrant such organization. Much of this population was near the center of the county, or on Township 9 north, Range 1 west, where it was known the county seat was likely to be located. As soon as the State Commissioner had bought land for the county seat of the Rogerses and Graham, the land in the vicinity of Bloomington rose suddenly in value and was in great demand. The town was laid out, not by the State Commission, but by the County Board, and while this was being done under the direction of the County Agent, many citizens of the county visited the spot. The streets running north and sauth, beginning on the west were named as follows: Poplar, Gherry, -Spring, West, Kast, Walnut, Blue and Buck, and those running east and west, beginning on the south, were Water, South, North and Washington. Some changes have since been made in these names. On the days of the first sale of lots, a large crowd of settlers of the county and speculators gathered to look on and possibly participate, and certainly to drink of the free whisky furnished by order of the County Board. Just why the sales were so large and at such a high figure cannot be stated, unless it was because it was known that Bloomington was destined to be a great educational center. One thing is historical :

Passage source: 1884 History of Monroe County Indiana, published 1884.

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 Bloomington Township - 13,530 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

95 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 95 fires within 5 miles of Elias Abel House between 2003 and 2008, burning about 45 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 13 were 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
Recreation and ceremony	28
Debris and open burning	26
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	19
Arson/incendiarism	13
Smoking	4
Natural	3
Other causes	1
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
9 September 2005	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
7 September 2007	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
3 September 2007	Recreation and ceremony	1.0 acres	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
18 September 2006	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
15 September 2006	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
1 September 2005	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
31 August 2007	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
24 August 2007	Smoking	under an acre	Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office	not named

Every fire recorded in Monroe County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 14 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 14 workings within 5 miles of Elias Abel House: 8 past producers, 6 producers. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Limestone, Dimension, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Stone. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Bloomington Limestone	Stone	Producer
Bloomington Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Arlington Hills Quarry	Limestone, Dimension	Producer
Arlington Mill	Limestone, Dimension	Past Producer
Arlington Quarry	Limestone, Dimension	Past Producer
Ashtone Mill	Limestone, Dimension	Past Producer
Bennett Mill	Limestone, Dimension	Past Producer
Carl Furst Quarry	Limestone, Dimension	Past Producer
Ed Bennett Quarry	Limestone, Dimension	Past Producer
Hunter Valley Quarry	Limestone, Dimension	Producer

Every working recorded in Monroe County

Storms near this property

60 of 109 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bloomington, the town this property stands in, in 109 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 52 thunderstorm wind, 44 hail, 5 flash flood, 4 flood. The reports record 1 death and 3 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
October 2000	Flash Flood	Bloomington	1 killed	no account filed
June 2008	Lightning	Bloomington	3 hurt	Two individuals had lightning strike near them and were taken to the hospital for lighting related injuries. The cell phone of another individual was stuck while the person was talking on the phone. This individual was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$5,000,000	Widespread significant tree damage across the city of Bloomington with numerous reports of property damage due to fallen trees and tree limbs.
April 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$200,000	no account filed
May 2004	Tornado (F0)	Bloomington	$150,000	An F0 tornado moved across Lake Monroe southeast of Bloomington sinking several sailboats.
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$60,000	Thunderstorm winds to 70 mph blew down dozens of trees and power lines. Up to four homes and several vehicles were damaged by fallen trees.
August 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$30,000	Trees were downed in several locations across Bloomington, including one that crushed a car and another that fell on a barn. Damage amounts were estimated.
April 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$20,000	Trees fell on a house.
May 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$15,000	Several large trees were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts.
May 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$15,000	Multiple trees were reported down across Bloomington due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts.
May 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$12,000	Many trees and limbs were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts.
September 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$10,000	Trees were downed and a few homes sustained minor damage in an eastside Bloomington neighborhood.
January 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$9,000	Three trees were blown down along State Route 45 due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. Two of the downed trees were at the intersection of State Route 45 and Russell Road. The other downed tree was just southwest of town. Two of the three trees looked healthy. Both instances of trees down at State Route 45 and Russell Road hit homes and caused minor roof damage.
August 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damaged in Bloomington.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$5,000	Trees, up to 10 inches in diameter, were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts on Moores Pike.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$5,000	Trees, up to 10 to 14 inches in diameter, were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts in this location.
June 2008	Flash Flood	Bloomington	$5,000	Roadways were covered and previous flooding conditions were exacerbated due to heavy rainfall that caused renewed flash flooding.
April 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$5,000	An automobile was totaled after a large tree fell on top of it.
April 2011	Flash Flood	Bloomington	$2,000	Multiple intersections were reported to be flooded with water up to about a foot deep.
June 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$2,000	Trees and power lines were downed on the east side of Bloomington.
June 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$2,000	Trees and power lines were downed in Bloomington.
February 2014	Flood	Bloomington	$1,000	Streets were reported to be flooded due to heavy thunderstorm rainfall. The campus bus routes were suspended.
June 2009	Flash Flood	Bloomington	$1,000	Streets were reported to be flooded in Bloomington due to thunderstorm heavy rainfall.
June 2009	Flash Flood	Bloomington	$1,000	Flash flooding of some county roads were reported throughout Monroe County due to thunderstorm heavy rainfall. A few intersections in Bloomington were flooded as well. The location of this event is estimated.
May 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$1,000	Trees down
May 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$1,000	no account filed
March 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$1,000	no account filed
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$800	Thunderstorm winds blew a tree down.
June 2015	Flood	Bloomington	$500	Some minor street flooding was reported in this location due to heavy rainfall.
July 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$500	A trained spotter reported several tree branches down due to an estimated 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
January 2012	Flood	Bloomington	$500	Heavy thunderstorm rainfall caused 3.5 inches of standing water at the intersection of 3rd and Jordan Streets.
August 2004	Tornado (F0)	Bloomington	$500	A very small and brief tornado touched down from a thunderstorm near Bloomington, causing damage to several trees in the backyard of a residence. No one was injured, and no other significant damage was reported.
May 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	$200	A four inch diameter tree branch was reported down at 10th and Walnut Streets.
June 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	Trained spotter estimated thunderstorm wind gusts up to 70 mph.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	A 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust was measured at this location.
April 2024	Hail	Bloomington	-	Mainly 0.88 inch or smaller hail across Monroe County, included one golf ball sized hailstone, which was likely advected from the cluster's main updraft crossing southeastern portions of Monroe County. One-inch hail was also reported near and southeast of Bloomington.
June 2023	Hail	Bloomington	-	Thunderstorm hail continued, as large as quarters in Bloomington.
July 2023	Hail	Bloomington	-	Nickel sized hail on north side of Bloomington. Numerous reports of 0.50-0.75 inch hail from south of Ellettsville, through Bloomington, to near/southwest of Woodville Hills.
May 2017	Hail	Bloomington	-	This report was received via Facebook.
March 2012	Hail	Bloomington	-	The hail lasted for 10 minutes.
April 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	A thunderstorm wind gust, estimated at 60 mph, was reported in Bloomington.
May 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	A 70 to 80 mph thunderstorm wind gust was reported in this location, with much debris.
August 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	An estimated 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust was observed in this location. Pea-sized hail was also observed.
August 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	A spotter estimated thunderstorm wind gusts between 60 to 70 miles per hours in Bloomington.
January 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	The wind gust was measured by ASOS equipment.
April 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	Trees were reported down in several places due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
March 2006	Flood	Bloomington	-	Two roads were closed due to high water. No property damage was reported.
April 2006	Hail	Bloomington	-	No property damage estimates were available.
April 2006	Hail	Bloomington	-	No property damage estimates were available.
May 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	Several trees were blown down.
May 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	Trees were downed near Bloomington.
May 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	Power lines were blown down at the south end of Lake Monroe.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	Trees were blown down.
July 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	Large tree limbs fell.
November 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	Trees were downed.
July 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	A large tree was downed.
July 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	Trees were downed.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	Trees down in Harrodsburg
May 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Bloomington	-	Large limbs down
April 2002	Hail	Bloomington	-	Hail covered the ground

Every storm recorded in Monroe County

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 miles

Other 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.

Property	Distance	Listed
Second Baptist Church	0.1 miles	1995
Steele Dunning Historic District	0.1 miles	2000
Cochran-Helton-Lindley House	0.1 miles	1979
Johnson's Creamery	0.2 miles	1996
Illinois Central Railroad Freight Depot	0.3 miles	1983
Blair-Dunning House	0.3 miles	1983

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 82000023 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Monroe County	All 48 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.