Union Center, Indiana

Last updated

Union Center, Indiana
Unincorporated town
USA Indiana location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Union Center
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Union Center
Coordinates: 41°29′03″N86°38′23″W / 41.48417°N 86.63972°W / 41.48417; -86.63972
Country United States
State Indiana
County LaPorte
Township Clinton
FIPS code 18-01000 [1]
GNIS feature ID445070 [2]

Union Center is an unincorporated community in LaPorte County, Indiana, in the United States. [3]

Contents

Geography

Union Center is located in Union Township, [4] just north of U.S. Route 6 in Indiana. [5]

History

The community took its name from Union Township. [6]

The Union Center Church of the Brethren was founded in 1859. The church building was built in 1869 by George W. Cripe, an elder of the church. In 1917, the church had over 200 members. [7]

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) was built through LaPorte County in 1874, and was routed through Alida, Tracy, Wellsboro, and Union Center. [8] A post office opened under the name "Union Centre" in 1884; the spelling was changed to "Center" in 1892. [9] The population was 30 in 1890. [10]

The Union Center School was built in 1900, at a cost of around $12,000, including the land and barns. Later improvements were made to the building, which was constructed by W.S. Rowe. Eight years later, the two remaining students in the Union Township school district #2 were moved to Union Center, and #2 was closed. [4]

In 1904, Union Center was considered one of two villages in Union Township (the other being Kingsbury). It was the site of "a good store, a grain elevator, and several homes". [8]

The Union Center post office closed in 1924. [9] The population was 25 in 1940. [11] At that time, Union Center was considered a "tiny village"; a proposed federal munitions loading plant in Union Center had caused many unemployed men to seek employment in Union Center, where no plant had yet been built. [12] In October 1940, the US Department of War in Washington, DC, began issuing federal buyout notices in the Union Center area. 250 land owners in the area were bought out to make room for the munitions plant in Union Center; residents had only 30 days to vacate their premises. [13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Union Center, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Union Center, Indiana
  4. 1 2 Mitten, George (1931). Memories of Union Township, Benton County, Indiana. Benton Review Shop. pp. 37, 31. The Union Center School Erected by W. S. Rowe in 1900. Substantial improvements were added by Mr. Sayers. The total cost of the building, grounds and barns was about $ 12,000
  5. ↑ "General Highway and Transportation Map - LaPorte County, Indiana" (PDF). Indianapolis, IN: State of Indiana. 1977. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
  6. ↑ Baker, Ronald L. (October 1995). From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History . Indiana University Press. p.  330. ISBN   978-0-253-32866-3. ...named for Union Township, in which it is located.
  7. ↑ Winger, Otho (1917). History of the Church of the Brethren in Indiana (PDF). Elgin, IL: Brethren Publishing House. pp. 153–154.
  8. 1 2 Daniels, ED (1904). "A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of La Porte County, Indiana". pp. 109, 232–233. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Forte, Jim. "Post Offices - Indiana- LaPorte County". PostalHistory.com. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  10. ↑ Cram, George Franklin (1891). Cram's Universal Atlas: Geographical, Astronomical and Historical, Containing a Complete Series of Maps of Modern Geography, Illustrated by Numerous Views and Charts; the Whole Supplemented with Valuable Statistics, Diagrams, and a Complete Gazetteer of the United States. G.F. Cram. p. 368.
  11. ↑ The Attorneys List. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department. 1940. p. 288.
  12. ↑ "Workers Not To Go to Union Center For Jobs". Nappanee Advance-News. Nappanee, IN. October 24, 1940. p. 4. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Munitions Boom Town Is Big Problem". Walkerton Independent. Walkerton, IN. October 24, 1940. p. 1. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.