Today, Newburgh is locally known for its historic downtown district that features a number of specialty stores, antique shops, and restaurants along its riverfront.

As a town situated on the fertile banks of the Ohio River, Newburgh has a long history of human activity.

[5] For centuries prior to that, it had been inhabited by the Shawnee people and was near the center of prehistoric Mississippian culture as late as 1450 A.D.[5] Evidence of this prehistoric society remains today at Angel Mounds, a National Historic Landmark, and Ellerbusch site, both approximately two miles west of Newburgh.

Sprinkle, a businessman of German descent, landed in Newburgh in the spring of 1803, thirteen years before Indiana entered the Union as the 19th state.

The original plat of Sprinklesburgh consisted of about 12 blocks immediately west of today's downtown Newburgh.

Much of its growth in this time period was due to coal mining and its beneficial location on the Ohio River.

[7] However, when the national railway system came to southern Indiana, it bypassed Newburgh completely in favor of Evansville, beginning a permanent shift in regional economic dominance.

[7] According to a number of historical sources, Newburgh was a prominent stop on the Underground Railroad between the mouth of the Little Pigeon River and Lake Michigan.

Colonel Adam "Stovepipe" Johnson, with a partisan band, crossed the Ohio River and confiscated supplies and ammunition without a shot being fired.

The Confederates' cannons were an assemblage of a stove pipe, charred log, and wagon wheels.

The town also benefited from the arrival, and later expansions, of the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA), built in 1957.

In 1994, Newburgh leaders planned to annex large areas that would have extended town limits to Frame Road (west) and SR 66 (north and east).

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and cool to mild winters.

[16] Newburgh uses the council-manager form of government, led by a five-member town council and a clerk-treasurer.

The town council holds both legislative and executive powers while the clerk-treasurer is responsible for financial matters.

The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association.

The town is located in the 8th District of Indiana (map) and served by U.S. Representative Larry Bucshon, a resident of Newburgh.

The Indiana Board of Education awarded all of Newburgh's public schools an "A" grade, the highest possible.

[24] Several blocks of Main Street in Newburgh have been intentionally groomed to give off a historic village "river town" air.

[25] Some events are held on the shore of the river near the town's lock and dam, with others in the antique downtown section of Newburgh.

Summerfest (formerly called the Summer Social), held at St. John's Catholic Parish and School during the month of June.

Each fall, the historic downtown association hosts popular "Ghost Walks" where attendees learn of the town's history of mining, the Civil War, and the Underground Railroad.

[25] The first weekend in December features a downtown Christmas celebration with over 60 people dressed in period costumes, carolers, and street musicians.