Mount Meridian 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 ...

in Marion Township, Putnam County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. Primarily on

US 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...

, it is approximately west of Indianapolis. It is called Mount Meridian due to its being the highest place in the county and surrounding areas.

History

Mount Meridian was originally named "Carthage", and under the latter name was laid out in 1833. A post office called Mount Meridian was established in 1835, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1905.

The Half Way House

The Half Way House was originally built in 1830 on the north side of the Old National Road (US 40) near the town square. The town is roughly halfway between

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

and Indianapolis, hence its name. Such people as

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...

and

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

spent the night there. It was originally built by William Heavin as the Heavin family owned and operated The Lovely Mount Tavern in Radford Virginia, which is where they migrated from. The house was then owned and operated by such people as John David Scott, Thomas and Martha (Bourne) Vermillion, Asbury and Cora (Bourne) McCammack, and was last run by their son, Virgil McCammack. Business slowed by 1940, as the automobile lessened the need of an inn for its location.

Geography

Mount Meridian is located at 39°36'6.55" North, 86°45'26.06" West (39.601820, -86.757240), southeast of Greencastle.

Points of interest

Putnam Park Road Course

About 1/2 mile southwest of the community is the Putnam Park Road Course. Mainly used as a test track, it holds races, practices and special events for all types of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, Porsche,

Dodge Viper The Dodge Viper is a sports car that was manufactured by Dodge (by SRT for 2013 and 2014), a division of American car manufacturer FCA US LLC from 1992 until 2017, having taken a brief hiatus in 2007 and from 2010 to 2012. Production of the two- ...

, and professional race car drivers of all types and levels. It is also a primary location to test new vehicles and race car models. The track was featured on the

Speed Channel Speed was an American sports-oriented cable and satellite television network that was owned by the Fox Sports Media Group division of 21st Century Fox. The network was dedicated to motorsports programming, including auto racing, as well as aut ...

in 2007.

References

Unincorporated communities in Putnam County, Indiana Unincorporated communities in Indiana National Road {{PutnamCountyIN-geo-stub