Blackford County is located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Indiana. The county is named for Judge Isaac Blackford, who was the first speaker of the Indiana General Assembly and a long-time chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. Created in 1838, Blackford County is divided into four townships, and its county seat is Hartford City. Two incorporated cities and one incorporated town are located within the county. The county is also the site of numerous unincorporated communities and ghost towns. Occupying only 165.58 square miles (428.9 km2), Blackford County is the fourth smallest county in Indiana. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 12,112. Based on population, the county is the 8th smallest county of the 92 in Indiana. Although no interstate highways are located in Blackford County, three Indiana state roads cross the county, and an additional state road is located along the county's southeast border. The county has two railroad lines. A north–south route crosses the county, and intersects with a second railroad line that connects Hartford City with communities to the west.
Montpelier is a city in Harrison Township, Blackford County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. This small rural community, the county's first to be platted, was established by settlers from Vermont, and is named after Vermont's capital city of Montpelier.
Eaton is a town in Union Township, Delaware County, Indiana, along the Mississinewa River. The population was 1,595 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Muncie, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Cowan is an unincorporated community in Monroe Township, Delaware County, Indiana.
Roll is an unincorporated community in Washington Township, Blackford County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Nearly all of the community's businesses have been closed for years. Although the Blackford County Historical Society lists Roll as a ghost town, homes are still maintained in the area, and it is still listed as a populated place by the U.S. Geological Survey. The rural community is located on Indiana State Road 18, about one mile west of its intersection with Indiana State Road 3.
Trenton is an unincorporated town in Jackson Township, Blackford County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Nearly all of the community's businesses have been closed for many years. Although the Blackford County Historical Society lists this community as a ghost town, homes are still maintained in the area.
Bethel is an unincorporated community in Harrison Township, Delaware County, Indiana.
Cammack is an unincorporated community in Mount Pleasant Township, Delaware County, Indiana.
Cross Roads is an unincorporated community in Salem Township, Delaware County, Indiana.
Granville is an unincorporated community in Niles Township, Delaware County, Indiana.
Royerton is an unincorporated community in Hamilton Township, Delaware County, Indiana.
Stockport is an unincorporated community in Washington Township, Delaware County, Indiana.
West Muncie is an unincorporated community in Mount Pleasant Township, Delaware County, Indiana.
Wheeling is an unincorporated community in Washington Township, Delaware County, Indiana.
Tyner is an unincorporated community in Polk Township, Marshall County, Indiana. Originally named Tyner City, it is named after Thomas Tyner. He died in 1880, and is buried in the town's cemetery.
Shideler is an unincorporated community in Union Township, Delaware County, Indiana, in the United States.
Hartford City, Indiana, began in the late 1830s as a few log cabins clustered near a creek. The community became the county seat of Blackford County. Located in the north east-central portion of the state, the small farming community experienced a 15-year "boom" beginning in the late 1880s caused by the discovery of natural gas. The Indiana Gas Boom caused the community to transition from an agricultural economy to one that also included manufacturing. During the 1890s, Hartford City was the home of the nation's largest window glass company and the nation's largest producer of lantern globes.
Mollie is an extinct American village in Blackford County, Indiana, that flourished during the Indiana Gas Boom from the 1880s until the 1920s. The region around Mollie experienced an economic "boom" period because of the discovery of gas and crude oil. Mollie was a stop along the Fort Wayne, Cincinnati, and Louisville Railroad—and happened to be near the region's oil fields, a convenient location for the area's oil workers.
This is a timeline and interactive map of Blackford County, Indiana. The timeline (below) lists important events in Blackford County history. An adjacent (right) interactive map contains links to various locations around the county.
Medford is an unincorporated community in Delaware County, Indiana, in the United States.
