Converse, Blackford County, Indiana
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Converse | |
|---|---|
 Blackford County's location in Indiana | |
  Converse Location in Blackford County | |
| Coordinates: 40°23′22″N 85°14′21″W / 40.38944°N 85.23917°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Blackford |
| Township | Jackson |
| Platted | 1867 |
| Elevation | 922 ft (281 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 47336 |
| Area code | 765 |
| FIPS code | 18-14970[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 432906[1] |
Converse is an unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Blackford County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.[1] Although not much of the community remains, the U.S. Geological Survey considers it a populated place. The community existed as a "flag" station along a railroad, and is named after railroad executive Joel N. Converse.[3] Like many communities in Blackford County, this village declined after the end of the Indiana Gas Boom, which ended in the early 20th century.
Railroad
In 1837, Edward Crumley moved to the southeast corner of the Blackford County, and began a farm with his family. The area in this corner of the county would eventually be named Jackson Township. Crumley's farm was located at a crossroads, and the area became known as Crumley's Crossing. The crossroads area grew into a small community with several cabins, a blacksmith shop, and a sawmill.[3] The Union and Logansport Railroad Company reached Blackford County in 1867, and the community became a flag stop on the railroad.[4] The community was platted in 1867, and renamed for railroad executive Joel N. Converse.[3] In addition to a sawmill and blacksmith shop, the community had a store, school, and church. The church was a Methodist church, but later became the Kingsley Full Gospel church. For this reason, the area is sometimes called by a third name, which is "Kingsley". Thus, Crumley's Crossing, Converse, and Kingsley all refer to the same place in Blackford County.[3] Blackford County's Converse should not be confused with the town of Converse, which is located in Grant County.
The railroad line that ran through Converse was named Union and Logansport Railroad Company by the time it entered Blackford County, and it was the county's first railroad.[5] This line was proposed in 1862, and completed to Hartford City in 1867 — running through the Blackford County communities of Dunkirk, Converse, Millgrove, and Hartford City. Eventually, a stop named Renner was also added to the line west of Hartford City. Converse was a flag stop southeast of Millgrove.[6][7] The railroad was eventually named Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad.[8] Other names for the railroad since that time include the Panhandle division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Penn Central Transportation Company, Conrail, and Norfolk Southern Railway.[6] The line is now abandoned between Converse and Hartford City.[9]
