Acton, Indiana

Acton, Indiana
Acton, Indiana
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
Founded	1852
Named after	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, ^[1] and has been a part of 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]

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] In 2004, a portion of the land that had held the campground was acquired by the city of Indianapolis and became Acton Park. ^[7]

Notable people

• Marjorie Main, Oscar-nominated American actress

See also

• List of neighborhoods in Indianapolis

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 September 12, 2021.
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 May 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
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. "Acton Park Master Plan" (PDF). Indy Parks . June 2005. Retrieved November 4, 2025.