Prairieton is an
unincorporated community in
Prairieton Township,
Vigo County
Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits on the southern shore of an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the ...
, in the
U.S. state of
Indiana.
Today, due to its proximity to both
Terre Haute's southern shopping district (along
U.S. Route 41 for approximately two miles south of
Interstate 70) and the Terre Haute Federal Penitentiary, it has mostly become a
commuter town (
State Road 63 provides Prairieton residents access to Terre Haute), with fewer than ten businesses within its "city limits".
Prairieton is part of the Terre Haute
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Prairieton was laid out July 22, 1837, by Robert Hoggatt. Situated on Honey Creek, the town also was on the old
Vincennes wagon road. Moses Hoggatt had established a post office and store there around 1818, and in its early years the town was known simply as Hoggatt's Store. Hoggatt and then his son Robert Hoggatt were the first shopkeepers. The
Quakers were the predominating influence in this prairie in the pioneer days. It became incorporated as a town in 1870 and by 1890 had a population of approximately 236.
A post office was established under the name Hoggatts in 1818. It was renamed to Prairieton in 1840, and is still currently in operation.
References
Unincorporated communities in Indiana
Unincorporated communities in Vigo County, Indiana
Terre Haute metropolitan area
{{VigoCountyIN-geo-stub