Athens () 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 ...

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in Henry Township,

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

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 ...

, originally called Hoover Station. A post office established as Grant, on December 20, 1875, was moved to Hoover Station in 1883; Hoover Station was a waystation for the

Chicago and Atlantic Railway The Chicago and Atlantic Railway, later the Chicago and Erie Railroad, was a railway in the United States which existed from 1871 to 1941, and was an important connection between the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area and Chicago, Illinois.Camp, Mar ...

, where Jacob Hoover was the

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

and kept a general store with his brother. Jacob was the son of Henry and Sarah (Curtis)Hoover, the first white settlers of this area. The name was changed to Athens on May 28, 1896, for

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

.Baker, Ronald L. ''From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier place names in folklore and history'' Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995. While the town is slowly being incorporated into

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, a tiny post office exists there for the few remaining residents who still have an Athens address.

Geography

Athens is located six miles east of

along

Indiana State Road 14 State Road 14 is an east–west highway route which traverses the northern portion of the U.S. State of Indiana. Its western terminus is at U.S. Route 41 in Enos, and since 1995 its eastern terminus is at Interstate 69 in Fort Wayne. Route ...

References

Unincorporated communities in Fulton County, Indiana Unincorporated communities in Indiana 1875 establishments in Indiana Populated places established in 1875 {{FultonCountyIN-geo-stub