Acton, Indiana

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Acton, Indiana
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Acton, Indiana
Coordinates: 39°39′20″N85°58′00″W / 39.65556°N 85.96667°W / 39.65556; -85.96667 Coordinates: 39°39′20″N85°58′00″W / 39.65556°N 85.96667°W / 39.65556; -85.96667
Country United States
State Indiana
City Indianapolis
County Marion
Township Franklin
Founded1852
Named for General Acton
Elevation
791 ft (241 m)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
ZIP code
46259
Area code 317

Acton is a small community located in the southeast corner of Marion County, Indiana, United States, [1] and has been included in the city of Indianapolis under the Unigov legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly in 1969. [2] The community was named for an early settler, General Acton. [3]

Contents

History

The community's original name was Farmersville. [4] The town was renamed in 1854 when the U.S. Postal Service discovered there was already a town named Farmersville in Posey County, Indiana. [5]

From 1859 to 1905, a group of Methodists operated the Acton Camp Ground on 40 acres (16 ha) just north of the town, at the corner of Southport and Acton roads. An agreement with the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Railroad provided good access to the camp grounds. Fire destroyed the camp buildings in 1864, but the association rebuilt them. Another fire in 1905 again destroyed the camp, but this time efforts to raise funds to rebuild fell short, and the land was sold. [6]

Actress Marjorie Main was born in Acton in 1890. Born Mary Tomlinson, Marjorie Main, moved from Acton to Elkhart, Indiana as a child [7]

In the summer of 1980, a motorcyclist was struck by lightning while passing through Acton. When attempts by paramedics were unsuccessful in reviving the motorist, both the paramedics and witnesses claim a lady dressed in black and holding a bible, emerged and was able to revive the motorist by striking the motorist on the chest with a bible while speaking in tongues. Some believe the lady in black was the spirit of one of the attendees from the former Acton Camp ground. [8]

Notable people

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References

  1. "Acton, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. "Unigov: Unifying Indianapolis and Marion County · Digital Civil Rights Museum". www.digitalresearch.bsu.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  3. Baker, Ronald L. (October 1995). From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History . Indiana University Press. p.  46. ISBN   978-0-253-32866-3. for a local resident, General Acton
  4. "Acton, Indiana Profile". Archived from the original on 2019-05-15. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  5. Sulgrove, Berry Robinson (1884). History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana. L.H. Everts & Company. p.  526.
  6. Henricks, Sylvia C. (1970). "A Good and Profitable Occasion: The Story of Acton Camp Ground". Indiana Magazine of History. 66 (4): 299–317. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  7. "Marjorie Main: From Farm Girl to Film Star". Indiana Historical Society. 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  8. "A Miraculous Ghostly Visitor at Acton Campground".