Grovertown, Indiana, USA

The original plot of Grover Town was laid out by a civil engineer named Grover, and by request of Mark and Caroline Reeves in 1857, during the period the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago railroad was being built. As the story goes, Reeves had contracted with the Railroad to build a depot and certain other installations in return for his deed of a 100 ft. strip of land on each side of the right of way. The arrangement fell through and the townsite lay dormant until 1867, when Andrew Uncapher purchased the Reeves property^ including the plot laid out by Mr. Grover.

He established the town by building a general store, stocking it with everything the early settlers needed, and buying and selling produce raised in the neighborhood. A large new store was built in 1897, on the Main Street north of the railroad.

Uncapher Hall was the scene of community affairs, like pie socials and oyster supper, 200 for all you can eat. Fred Peterson was making woodensolid shoes for sale to Chicago firm.

Grovertown was the site of one of the early pickle plants. 18,000 bushels were reported taken in during the season of 1897.

In October of 1899, A. J. Uncapher and Yeager and Johnson ( on the main street south of the railroad ) installed a gas light plant in their stores. The Yeager & Johnson store was sold to E. D. Boyer in 1901.

According to records from the U. S. Post office department, a post office was established at Grover Town January 20, 1859, Ebenezer Lampson, P. M., discontinued August 2, 1865. It was reestablished October 25, 1865, with Willoughby McCormick, P.M. The name was changed to Grovertown on April 22, 1893.

The Starke County Ledger on July 17, 1873, says "Grovertown is the great huckleberry depot of this county." The wild berries sometimes sold for 60 to 80 a quart, with the total crop in the area often bringing $50,000 and providing a livelihood for many people.

Many interesting and conflicting stories are told about the 'Huckleberry marsh near Koontz Lake. During the 4-6 week season, itinerant pickers lived in tent camps, providing their own eating and sleeping accommodations, groceries, saloons, and dance halls. Gamblers and thieves were numerous in this wide-open atmosphere. The only law was the law of the "Huckleberry Queen", a former circus bareback rider who dressed like a man, carried a gun, and split the gambling and other profits with those who came to fleece the hundreds of berry pickers. \ fire destroyed much of this marsh in 1892, and pretty well ended the great huckleberry harvests.

In 1902, Grovertown is credited with "three stores, H. J. Heinz Pickle factory, a fine brick church, ( built about 1890 as the U. B. Church, destroyed :by fire in 1944, rebuilt in 1945 as the E. U. B. Church ), one real estate dealer who also buys hay and grain ( A. J. Uncapher ), Post Office, and two lodges, Modern Woodmen and Gleaners."

On September 26, 1904, a new 4 room brick schoolhouse was dedicated at Grovertown. The old one had been destroyed by fire in March. With additions, the building is still in use in 1963. A new grade school was built in 1953.

U. S. Highway 30 came to Grovertown in 1927-28. In 1950, businesses in town included "two grocery stores, a restaurant and bar room, ice cream and lunch room, 2 garages and post office" and was the center of a poultry and egg producing area. In 1963, the town is again being rearranged by Highway 30. Surviving business places include a lumber yard, restaurant and bar, 1 grocery store, a tavern, school, and Post Office.

NOTES

Text above quoted from Hamlet Centennial: 1863-1963 by James Hardesty, no publisher, circa 1963, no page number.