Newburgh traces its origins to about 1803, when squatters led by John Sprinkle were forced to leave Henderson, Kentucky, where they had lived since 1792. By the time of his death in 1821, Sprinkle had a ferry, a tavern, and a pork-packing establishment. In 1837 the Indiana General Assembly merged Sprinklesburg and the nearby Luce settlement as Newburgh. Merchants carried on a prosperous river trade, especially in pork and tobacco, and by 1850 the town had 526 citizens as well as a newspaper, schools, and churches. The years from 1860 to 1870 were the most prosperous, with the population reaching nearly 1,400 in 1870 and a few businesses flourishing. Like many river-dependent towns, Newburgh failed to secure a proper railroad connection, and its railway link to Evansville remained primarily a passenger line. After 1870 the town declined until the turn of the twentieth century, when nearby coal mining, which had existed since the mid-1800s, revived it. The 4 square blocks of the Newburgh Historic District contain mostly brick buildings from the mid-nineteenth and earliest twentieth century, and the more substantial buildings along Sate, Water and Jennings Streets reflect the higher land values and economic prosperity of the commercial sector. Early in the Civil War, Confederate soldiers briefly captured Newburgh after crossing the river, and although no shot was fired, they confiscated supplies and ammunition.