Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/America, Indiana

America, Indiana

America, Indiana (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) – (View log | edits since nomination)

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PROD was declined with the rationale that "despite not currently being populated, [communities like this] often have significant history..." The only sources we have are GNIS and a guide to post offices, neither of which establish notability. Post office dissolved in 1881, and the site never (according to USGS maps) had more than 3 buildings, though there was an America Cemetery in the woods nearby. Name makes searching totally hopeless. Fails WP:NPLACE. WeirdNAnnoyed (talk) 23:09, 10 October 2025 (UTC)

• Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: Geography and Indiana. WeirdNAnnoyed (talk) 23:09, 10 October 2025 (UTC)

  Keep. I was able to quickly found a county history for the county in question that established this was in fact a town and not just a post office. See Weesner, Clarkson W. (1914). History of Wabash County, Indiana (PDF). The Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 83–84, 208–209.

  "At one time, America hosted four stores, two hotels, three blacksmith shops and other places of business and a considerable number of dwellings, some of the buildings — especially one of the taverns — being quite elegant for those early days".

  The name does not make searching completely hopeless, this took me approximately 3 minutes to find. Katzrockso (talk) 02:30, 11 October 2025 (UTC)

  I referenced another history of the county - Helm, Thomas B. (1884). History of Wabash County. John Morris. pp. 386–387.

  This one makes clear that this was a long-standing town that was the "center of business and trade" for the area. One quote is:

  America was the voting place and the center of business and trade for a long time; in fact, until the railroad was completed through La Fontaine. The number of dwellings was said to be forty or fifty.

  Between these two histories we have more than sufficient material to write an encyclopedic article. This is the case with most locations in Indiana, which had published county histories throughout the 19th and 20th century. Katzrockso (talk) 02:36, 11 October 2025 (UTC)

• Keep As per the sources found by Katzrockso, and the notability guidelines found in WP:GEOLAND. For towns, once notable, always notable, so the fact that it was the primary local voting place per Katzrocko’s source seals the deal. Absurdum4242 (talk) 04:50, 17 October 2025 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.