History of the Festival
To maintain the history and heritage of West 8th Street, a small group of residents raised $30,000 to purchase 106 Newport-style gaslights, which were donated to the City of Anderson and installed from Jackson to Henry Streets. To celebrate the lights, a group of 30 neighbors held a series of meetings, and the first “Gaslight Festival,” was a reality on Easter Sunday of 1973.
The festival celebrated the Victorian gas boom era – a time of explorations and exuberance, a time of discovery and tradition, a time of grand gestures in homes and dress. From 1973-2004, the Gaslight Festival celebrated this era and the architectural heritage with which our Victorian predecessors enriched our lives.
The funds raised during that time were used to benefit the entire city and visitors through beautification and contributions to service organizations. They paid for maintenance and repair of the gaslights along 8th Street as well as plantings in Funk Park and new trees along the street. Donations were made to the Fine Arts Center and other local nonprofits.
History of Anderson, Indiana
The City of Anderson emerged from a Delaware Indian village. It was named for the tribal chief William Anderson. The first settler in Anderson was John Berry, who came in 1821. He purchased from William Conner a 320-acre tract of land and, in 1823, laid out the first plat of the town. He then offered 60 acres of land to the village on the condition that the county seat be moved from Pendleton to Andersontown.
There was an increase in population when the railroad came to Anderson during the 1850s. In 1887, with the discovery of natural gas, Anderson was transformed into the “Queen City of the Gas Belt.” Within a decade, more than 40 major factories, representing a variety of industries, came to enjoy the benefits of Anderson’s plentiful and inexpensive fuel. Many of the men of vigor, wealth, and enterprise who motivated this expansion made their homes in the fashionable residential district of Anderson Street.
Before the acceptance of the number system that we recognize today, Eight Street was known as Anderson Street, because it was the center division of the City and the location of Cheif Anderson’s home. Ninth Street was Washington Street, designated as the first street south of Anderson Street. Seventh Street was German Street, the first street north of Anderson Street.
The Anderson Street Historic District today includes Historic West Eighth Street from Jackson Street to just past Henry street, with specific exclusions, and portions of West Seventh and West Ninth Streets. Most of the buildings in the District are large, two-and-one-half-story dwellings with a variety of late Victorian and early twentieth-century styles.
