HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

Jessie Vieley recorded the original plat of Lizton in 1851. He was the son of the original settler, Isaac Vieley who had first explored the area in 1828 and settled here in 1831. This was just seven years (December, 1824) after Hendricks County was created by the State of Indiana.

The site of the town was approximately 22 miles from Indianapolis to the east and 22 miles from Crawfordsville on the west. A log road was built connecting these two cities near the present location of US 136. There was a stagecoach stop east of Lizton near the Eel River.

In 1868, the railroad came to town bringing passenger service and hauling freight. This was followed in 1907 by the Interurban line. The Indianapolis, Crawfordsville, and Western Traction Line served Lizton for 21 years until discontinuing service in 1928. Its tracks were on the north side of the railroad, which after many ownership changes is now operated by CSX Transportation.

The town was originally named New Elizabeth in honor of Jessie Vieley's wife, Elizabeth Leak Vieley. It was shortened to Lizton on May 1,1873.

Disaster struck Lizton in August of 1873. Cholera struck. Approximately 24 persons died. Before the "plague" there were more than 100 lots in town. Fear of the dreaded disease caused the town to lose population and halted growth in the town for many years.

The town of Lizton and Union Township in which it is located began to gain population again and continued to grow until the Great Depression of the 1930's. There was a gradual decline in population until the last decade. The construction of I-74 along the town's northern border has once reestablished Lizton's location as an attractive location for growth and development.

The Tri-West Junior-Senior High School operated by the Northwest Hendricks School Corporation adjacent to Lizton has also increased the attractiveness of the town. The high school was constructed in 1975 with the junior high added in 1983. In addition, the Northwest Hendricks School Corporation is in the process of constructing a new middle school on a site adjacent to Tri-West junior/senior high school. This will help bring additional growth and traffic to the area.