Fontanet, Indiana

Fontanet, Indiana
Census-designated place
Location of Fontanet in Vigo County, Indiana.
Coordinates: 39°34′34″N87°14′37″W / 39.57611°N 87.24361°W / 39.57611; -87.24361
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Vigo
Township	Nevins
Area [1]
• Total	4.08 sq mi (10.56 km2)
• Land	4.05 sq mi (10.49 km2)
• Water	0.027 sq mi (0.07 km2)
Elevation [2]	597 ft (182 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	347
• Density	85.7/sq mi (33.08/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	47851
Area codes	812, 930
GNIS feature ID	2583452 [2]

Fontanet (also Fountain, Fountain Station, or Hunter) is an unincorporated census-designated place in central Nevins Township, Vigo County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It lies along Baldwin St., northeast of the city of Terre Haute, the county seat of Vigo County. ^[3] Although Fontanet is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP Code of 47851. ^[4]

Fontanet is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Each year on the last weekend in August, Fontanet enjoys the Annual Fontanet Bean Dinner Festival, a tradition stemming from a Civil War veterans' picnic first held in 1890. The festival was originally held on land near the DuPont Powder Mill. After the mill exploded in 1907, ^[5] the picnic moved to the site known as Holloway Grove, donated by local landowner Bill Holloway. ^[6]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	347		—
U.S. Decennial Census [7]

History

Fontanet, two miles west of Coal Bluff, was also an important mining town worked and operated by the Coal Bluff Mining Company. The town also was an important railroad station on the Indianapolis and St. Louis Railroad. The mining company had a large general store, and in 1890 over 300 miners lived in Fontanet. ^[8]

The town's post office was established under the name Fountain Station in 1870. It was renamed to Hunter in 1877, and again to Fontanet in 1881. The post office is still in operation as of April 2017. ^{[9] [10]}

On 15 October 1907, approximately 40,000 kegs of powder exploded at the DuPont Powder Mill of Fontanet, Indiana, killing between 50 and 80 people, and destroying the town. The sound of the explosion was heard over 200 miles (320 km) away, with damage occurring to buildings 25 miles (40 km) away. ^[11]

Education

All areas in Vigo County are in the Vigo County School Corporation. ^[12] Fontanet is zoned to Rio Grande Elementary School, ^[13] Otter Creek Middle School, ^[14] and Terre Haute North Vigo High School. ^[15]

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fontanet, Indiana
3. DeLorme. Indiana Atlas & Gazetteer. 3rd ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, pp. 42–43. ISBN   0-89933-319-2.
4. ZIP Code Lookup
5. ""Fontanet, Indiana Du Pont Powder Company Explosion October 15, 1907": Basalt Journal Colorado". Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
6. "Hundreds gather for 113th Annual Fontanet Bean Dinner Festival": Terre Haute News
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
8. Bradsby, H.C. (1891). History of Vigo County, Indiana, with Biographical Selections. Chicago: S. B. Nelson & Co. pp.  481.
9. "Vigo County". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on September 22, 2005. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
10. "USPS.com location details". USPS.com. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
11. "Town Razed and Death Reveled". The Athens Messenger. Athens, Ohio. October 17, 1907. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013.
12. Geography Division (December 18, 2020). 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Vigo County, IN (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved June 6, 2025. - Text list
13. Rio Grande Elementary School Boundary (PDF) (Map). Vigo County School Corporation . Retrieved June 6, 2025. - Compare to the position on the Census school district map.
14. Otter Creek Middle School Boundary (PDF) (Map). Vigo County School Corporation . Retrieved June 6, 2025. - Compare to the position on the Census school district map.
15. Terre Haute North Vigo High School Boundary (PDF) (Map). Vigo County School Corporation . Retrieved June 6, 2025. - Compare to the position on the Census school district map.