Avoca is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in Marshall Township, Lawrence County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 583.

History

Avoca was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted in 1819. The community likely took its name after the

River Avoca The Avoca ( ga, Abhainn Abhóca) is a river in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is contained completely within the county. Its length is 35 miles (56.3 km). The Avoca starts life as two rivers, the Avonmore () and the Avonbeg (). These jo ...

, which was mentioned in a poem by

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

. The Avoca post office was established in 1856.

Geography

Avoca is located in northwestern Lawrence County at , in the southwest corner of Marshall Township.

Indiana State Road 37 State Road 37 (SR 37) is a major route in the U.S. state of Indiana, running as a four-lane divided highway for 110 miles of its course. At one time, the route ran from the southwest corner of the state to the northeast corner. In the pre- ...

runs along the eastern edge of the community, leading north to Bloomington and south to

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, the Lawrence

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

. State Road 58 passes through the center of Avoca, joining SR 37 southbound but leading west to Owensburg. State Road 54 has its eastern terminus at SR 37 and leads northwest to Bloomfield. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Avoca census-designated place has an area of , all of it recorded as land. The community is in the valley of Goose Creek, which flows southeast to Salt Creek, part of the White River watershed.

Avoca Park

The Avoca State Fish Hatchery was built in 1819 and first served as a grist mill until 1919, when it was purchased by the DNR, who began building ponds in 1923. The Hatchery stocked Indiana's waters with fish for years until it was decommissioned by the DNR in 2013 and fell into disrepair. Bedford Mayor Shawna Girgis asked Bedford Park Director, Barry Jeskewich, to restore this historical location for Lawrence County. Barry Jeskewich partnered with James Farmer, Indiana University Substaining Hoosier Communities to obtained a grant to preserve this beloved green space for the surrounding community. Avoca State Fish Hatchery was renamed Avoca Park and Recreation and is now in the hands of the local community.

Demographics

References

Sources

“IU Farmer-Jeskewich Final Report”

Footnotes

Irish-American culture in Indiana Census-designated places in Lawrence County, Indiana Census-designated places in Indiana {{LawrenceCountyIN-geo-stub