Submitted by the Hamilton County Bicentennial Commission
During the Hamilton County Bicentennial in 2023, we plan to focus on one township during each month of the year (with some extra fun stuff in other months – see the timeline here). We are kicking off a blog series highlighting each of our townships in the county. This serves as a way for you to get to know the township representatives and get more connected with the other areas in the county.
On our social media (you can see our Facebook here) we have been highlighting different townships in alphabetical order on Saturdays. So, we will highlight our townships in alphabetical order on the blog! Let’s get started.
Today, we will be putting the spotlight on Adams Township. Adams Township is located in the top left-hand corner (the northwest corner) of Hamilton County. Sheridan is located in this township, along with smaller communities like Ekin, Boxley, and Baker’s Corner.
Some of the highlights from history for Adams Township include:
- The Monon Railroad (and therefore the northern end of the Monon Trail) coming through Sheridan
- George Boxley, abolitionist, being one of the first white settlers in the area
- The Hippodrome Theater, built in the 1920s as a movie theater, which now houses the Sheridan Historical Society
Of course, it’s impossible to summarize a community’s history in this small format. If you want to know more, or if you have more you want to add, check out the Our Book page. Soon, you’ll be able to pre-order a copy of our book that will go into more detail about each township, including Adams.
The Bicentennial Commission has members from each of the nine townships to help celebrate and commemorate the history of the county. The representative for Adams Township is Ron Stone. He’s the president of the Sheridan Historical Society, and has lived in Adams Township for 70 years. Ron spent his career as a teacher, and retired from Hamilton Heights Elementary School in 2009. He’s also currently a board member of the Adams Township Trustee Office.
Stone
Ron has been busy making plans alongside the Sheridan Historical Society. Some of his ideas include:
- Creating a school musical or play alongside the Sheridan School Corporation targeted at upper elementary (fourth- and fifth-grade) students
- Possibly creating an Adult Musical/Theater group that would put on a production of some kind
- Contracting with an artist to put a mural on the side of a commercial building downtown that represents Sheridan’s history
- And, the biggest project on Ron’s list, fundraising and gathering support for moving and restoring the Monon Depot. The ultimate goal with this project would be placing the depot near the Monon Trail and utilizing it as a visitor’s center for Sheridan.
If this list excites you, and you live in Adams Township and you want to get involved, you can contact Ron at rmstone@ndwave.com. If you live outside Adams Township but this list inspires you to think about projects for your township, then contact us at info@hamcoturns200.com or call us at (317) 674-3150.
We know Ron and the other township representatives are excited to get involved in the planning process. We hope you are too.