Mount Meridian, Indiana
| Mount Meridian | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
  Mount Meridian Location within the state of Indiana | |
| Coordinates: 39°36′7″N 86°45′26″W / 39.60194°N 86.75722°WCoordinates: 39°36′7″N 86°45′26″W / 39.60194°N 86.75722°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Putnam |
| Township | Marion |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 46128 (doesn't have its own zip...uses Fillmore, IN zip) |
Mount Meridian is an unincorporated community located in Marion Township, Putnam County, Indiana. Primarily on US 40, it is approximately 34 miles (55 km) west of Indianapolis. It is called Mount Meridian due to its being the highest place in the county and surrounding areas.
Points of interest
Putnam Park Road Course
About 1/2 mile southwest of the community is the Putnam Park Road Course. Mainly used as a test track, it holds races, practices and special events for all types of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, Porsche, Dodge Viper, and professional race car drivers of all types and levels. It is also a primary location to test new vehicles and race car models. The track was featured on the Speed Channel in 2007.
Geography
Mount Meridian is located at 39°36'6.55" North, 86°45'26.06" West (39.601820, -86.757240),[1] southeast of Greencastle.
History
Mount Meridian was originally named "Carthage" in 1833 by William Heavin and Bryce W. Miller. When the town became a post office for much of Marion and Jefferson townships a few years later, the name had to be changed because a town of the same name in Indiana already had a post office. The town then received the nickname, "Old Cat". In 1843, Henry Ward Beecher, a pastor from Indianapolis, stopped in town. He considered it "a small proverty-stricken little hamlet... shackly houses, pale faces and ragged children." When he awoke the next morning to seek water for washing, he found a well standing in a beautiful garden of flowers. He walked through a wicket gate to come upon a huge assortment of local vegetables from the primeval forests. The town once included the Mt. Meridian Saw Mill, a general store, a Baptist and a Methodist church, grist mill, tavern, wagon and shoe shop, and the Vermillion Brothers Trading Post. All that remains today are some self-storage sheds, an apartment building, the Tincher's auto shop, and Lawsons Tree Farm.
The Half Way House
The Half Way House was originally built in 1830 on the north side of the Old National Road (US 40) near the town square. The town is roughly half-way between Terre Haute and Indianapolis, hence its name. Such people as Daniel Webster and Abraham Lincoln spent the night there. It was originally built by William Heavin as the Heavin family owned and operated The Lovely Mount Tavern in Radford Virginia, which is where they migrated from. The house was then owned and operated by such people as John David Scott, Thomas and Martha (Bourne) Vermillion, Asbury and Cora (Bourne) McCammack, and was last run by their son, Virgil McCammack. Business slowed by 1940, as the automobile lessened the need of an inn for its location.
References
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
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