Elwood

In 1852, Elwood, Indiana, was a tiny settlement located in Pipe Creek Township of Madison County. Its residents sustained their meager lifestyle as farmers, lumberers, and merchants, but the nation’s westward migration was on its way, bringing railroads, people, opportunities, and growth. Nothing bolstered the city’s expansion like the 1886 discovery of a seemingly endless reserve of natural gas throughout East Central Indiana. The cheap and plentiful fuel ushered in a new industrial-based economy that prospered greatly. Unfortunately, the gas supply was not infinite, and by the early 1900s, many towns, such as Elwood, were struggling to survive. Elwood, however, reinvented itself and bloomed again. A resourceful chamber of commerce, supported by enterprising local leaders, attracted many new manufacturing companies and industries to Elwood. Throughout the intervening decades, the tide of the community’s vitality waxed and waned as it continued to grow ever stronger. The Elwood of today, endearingly termed “the Heart of Hoosierland,” remains a deeply rooted, vibrant example of Midwestern values and community kinship.

Author Biography

Author Marcy Fry is executive director of the Elwood Chamber of Commerce. Her coauthor, Janis Thornton, also wrote Images of America: Tipton County and Images of America: Frankfort.