Lost Communities
by Martha Owen, Heritage Collection Manager
by Martha Owen, Heritage Collection Manager
Evelyn Lehman Culp Heritage Collection, Nappanee Public Library
What is a Lost Community?
A Lost Community is a town or settlement that no longer is in existence or whose stories are hardly told or shared. These communities may have been a factor in creating a larger community. Most of these communities have blended into the countryside but some can still be seen if you look closely. The information that has been collected on these communities has been through books, and interviewing families that lived in these communities. Nappanee has five lost communities, Gravelton, Hastings, Hepton, Locke and Stumptown, that are sprinkled through the surrounding area.
Locke
Locke is located on County Road 50 between County Road 3 and State Road 19. It was platted on December 20, 1865. By 1873, Locke was a booming town, had two hundred residents and an abundance of shops and businesses that lined its streets. That boom did not last for long. By 1905, Locke had a population of twenty-five to thirty people and only one store. Its post office was closed in 1893. What happened to Locke?
Locke was bypassed by the B&O Railroad and the railroad decided on land two miles south. The businessmen of Locke quickly reached an agreement with the B&O Railroad. It was decided that Locke would donate five acres (that they did not own) and grade the side tracks for free and the B&O would build a side track and passenger house. Although Locke could not hold up its side of the bargain, it did put up a depot and passenger house on B&O land. It is still a mystery how this was accomplished. It can be believed that Locke gave Nappanee the push it needed to start. Many families started moving to Nappanee and they took with them their dwellings and businesses. The movement of business and people happened quickly and Locke was left in the dust.
Stumptown
Stumptown may be more difficult to find. It is located south of Union Center Church of the Brethren on County Road 11. It may have been named Stumptown because the abundance of Stumps who lived there. When Daniel Stump first came to Union Township in 1838, he purchased twelve hundred acres of land and gave a parcel to each of his children. His son, Abraham Stump acquired the one hundred sixty acres south of Union Center Church. Stumptown never had a post office. This community was not officially a town/village but it had a general store and dance hall along with a sawmill. It was also known for its production of onions, potatoes and mint. These crops loved the muck soil that Stumptown had to offer. Poplar forest in the area kept the sawmill busy as they produced lumber for furniture shops in larger cities.
A memorable place in Stumptown, Geyer's Dam, was a large ravine and pond with an earthen dam that held back the water that drained into the valley. It is believed that glass from Nappanee's Lamb Brothers and Greene was mixed in with the soil to prevent muskrats from digging through the dam. There was also a community building there that was used for meetings and other community events. There were also ice skating on the pond.
Gravelton
Gravelton is located on County Road thirteen south of US Highway six right as you enter Kosciusko County. Gravelton's post office operated from 1876-1906. Gravelton peaked in population at seventy-five to hundred people. It was not a regular stop on the B&O Railroad but Gravelton had a train station. Those who wanted to ride the train would have to flag it down. It also consisted of a general store, blacksmith's shop, school, a couple of churches and about twenty houses.
The Milkshake train was the only train to have a regular stop. It was named milkshake for its bumpy ride. It would also pick up containers of milk that farmers placed by the tracks. It would travel to Chicago and then come back in the evening. Gravelton was also the site of several train wrecks. The worst train wreck took place in November of 1884 when a freight train and passenger train collided derailing seven freight train cars.
Hastings
Hastings is located at the corner of 1050 N and 425W in Jefferson Township in Kosciusko County. Hastings was described as "just a crossroads with a store, little brick school, church and a few houses sprinkled along the road." It was established in 1890 and the post office operated from 1891-1903. It was surrounded by swamps and given the nickname "The Island". Hastings, like Stumptown, was able to produce valuable crops, such as onions, hemp, spearmint, peppermint, cabbage and pickles. The area was a leader in these crops. At one time ninety-six percent of the nation's hemp was produced in this area. The cabbage was taken to Libby, McNeil and Libby Sauerkraut Factory in Nappanee.
Hepton
Hepton is located in the northwest corner of Scott Township in Kosciusko County. Hepton was platted by Jacob Conrad, who later relocated to Bremen. It had thirty-six lots but very few were sold. It owned its existence to a sawmill and was named for Carl Hepler's family. It consisted of a post office, school, church, tile mill, blacksmith's shop, peppermint distillery, creamery and general store. The post office operated from 1868-1881. It was also referred to as "Hecton" due to all of the Heckamans that lived in the area.
These communities have much more share than what could be put in this article. To find more out about these communities be sure to stop by the Nappanee Center (302 W. Market St.) and visit the Evelyn Lehman Culp Heritage Collection. Please help us keep these communities from being completely forgotten.
Resources:
Brenneman, Marcia. The Lost Communities of Western Elkhart and Eastern St. Joseph Counties of Indiana. 2010.
Chapman’s History of Elkhart County. 1881.
Coplen, Daniel. Kosciusko County: An Oral and Pictoral History. 1997.
Haney, Kenneth. History of Hastings, Indiana.
Stuckman, Noel. Oral History. 2013.
Weygand, James. They Called it Nappanee. 1974.
Other Sources
Nappanee Advanced News
Elkhart County Historical Museum
Historic Map Works Database
Elkhart County Atlas – 1874
Kosciusko County Atlas – 1879 and 1914
Lawrence Weaver
Levi Ulery Diaries