19 Apr Changing Names
An often asked question is “what were the original names of towns in Huntington County before they gained their present name?”
“West Point” was founded in 1885 but was soon changed to “Bippus.” James Crosby founded “Kelso” in 1856, named after a town in Scotland, but was later changed to “Majenica” in honor of a Miami Indian Chieftain.
Others were “Simpson” which originally was known as “Roche’s Station”, “Yankeetown” which later became “Plum Tree” and “Tracy” becoming “Markle”. “Andrews” succeeded “Antioch” to be named after the president of the Wabash Railroad, whose shops located there in the 1850s.
Many towns have gone out of existence, or nearly so, such as “Silverton” located on Maple Grove Road and 750 north. “Mardenis”, formally called “Union Station”, was located three miles east of Huntington along the Wabash Railroad. “Brown’s Corner” was once called “Toledo” and “Goblesville” was located north of Huntington.
I am sure there are more that do not come to mind at the moment, but, It gives you a glimpse into the past and the many changes that take place ever so slowly that we hardly notice.
Submitted by: Lowell Richardson