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.
Shamrock Lakes is a town in Licking Township, Blackford County, Indiana, United States. It was incorporated on May 21, 1973—and was the first community in Indiana to do so in 50 years. The small town consists of a group of six lakes that were created between 1960 and 1965, and the first lake was originally intended to be a water supply for a farmer's cattle. The community was listed on the front page of USA Today as one of only five places in the United States named after Ireland's clover emblem, the shamrock.
Harrison Township is one of fourteen townships in Miami County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 665 and it contained 272 housing units.
Jackson Township is one of four townships in Blackford County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,233 and it contained 554 housing units. The township was named after Andrew Jackson, the Brevet Major General of the Battle of New Orleans and the seventh President of the United States.
Licking Township is one of four townships in Blackford County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,723 and it contained 3,784 housing units. The township was named after Lick Creek and a salt lick in the area. The first settlers in what became Blackford County arrived in the Lick Creek area in 1831.
Washington Township is one of four townships in Blackford County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 803 and it contained 364 housing units. County Commissioners named the township after George Washington in 1833, and it was part of Jay County. In 1838, Washington Township became part of the newly organized Blackford County.
Bethlehem Township is one of twelve townships in Clark County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 309 and it contained 127 housing units.
Utica Township is one of twelve townships in Clark County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 6,016 and it contained 2,422 housing units.
Harrison Township is one of fourteen townships in Dearborn County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,204 and it contained 1,338 housing units.
Niles Township is one of twelve townships in Delaware County, Indiana. According to the 2010 census, its population was 1,360 and it contained 566 housing units.
Union Township is one of twelve townships in Delaware County, Indiana. According to the 2010 census, its population was 2,838 and it contained 1,260 housing units.
Jefferson Township is one of thirteen townships in Grant County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 5,839 and it contained 1,758 housing units.
Jackson Township is one of twelve townships in Jay County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 991 and it contained 316 housing units.
Knox Township is one of twelve townships in Jay County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 477 and it contained 194 housing units.
Penn Township is one of twelve townships in Jay County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,133 and it contained 530 housing units.
Richland Township is one of twelve townships in Jay County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,005 and it contained 1,948 housing units.
Nottingham Township is one of nine townships in Wells County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,018 and it contained 408 housing units.
Renner is an extinct American village in Indiana's Blackford County. Although Renner has been listed as a “populated place” by the U.S. Geological Survey, this description is misleading. Renner was a railroad stop on the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad. The land around the railroad stop was originally used to supply timber for railroad crossties, and eventually became a livestock farm. Housing for the families of the employees of the livestock farm was also located nearby. Although it is not known for certain, Renner is thought to have been named for railroad executive John W. Renner. Renner was an executive of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad, and later the Pennsylvania Railroad, and retired with over 50 years of railroad experience. Another community, Rennerdale, Pennsylvania, was named in his honor in 1895.
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.
