The County Line
The name Federal Hill is becoming popular in Noblesville, or perhaps we should say, becoming popular again.
Federal Hill Commons is now a popular city park at the northwest corner of State Road 32 and State Road 19, or if you prefer, Conner Street and Cicero Road. It is not on Federal Hill, but close enough perhaps.
A new $29 million dollar apartment complex is soon to be built west of the commons, and named Village at Federal Hill, but it’s also not on the hill. The point is the name is catching on as new development is underway west of the White River.
The building, located at 161 Lakeview Drive in Noblesville, is the site of the former Federal Hill School in Noblesville. (Photo provided)
The name for the hill is found in records from the 1870s. A school, actually on the hill, took the name Federal Hill School about 1900. So, the community became familiar with the name for the general area of west Noblesville.
There are not many hills around Noblesville, but the ridge line where the original part of Riverview Hospital stands is where the name Federal Hill originated. That ridge or hill runs on north through Forest Park before the ground flattens out just north of the park.
But, how Federal Hill got its name is probably unknown to most local residents.
In post-Civil War years, Luther Swain purchased the land now occupied by the hospital and built a home there. Swain and his wife were admirers of Stephen Foster and especially his song “My Old Kentucky Home” which was very popular at the time.
The home Foster wrote about was owned by Foster’s cousin, John Rowan, who named his estate Federal Hill. So, the Swains borrowed the name for their home and farm, a name that has been with us ever since.
It’s another bit of historic trivia that contributes to the city’s character.