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Coal City, Indiana facts for kids

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Coal City, Indiana
Coal City, Indiana.jpg
Coal City, Indiana is located in Indiana
Coal City, Indiana
Coal City, Indiana
Location in Indiana
Coal City, Indiana is located in the United States
Coal City, Indiana
Coal City, Indiana
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Indiana
County Owen
Township Jefferson
Elevation
653 ft (199 m)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
47427
Area code(s) 812, 930
GNIS feature ID 432702

Coal City is a small, quiet community in Indiana, USA. It's not a big city, but a special kind of town called an "unincorporated community." This means it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. Instead, it's part of Owen County. You can find Coal City in Jefferson Township. It's a place where people live and work, and it has a few important spots like a grocery store, a restaurant, and a post office.

History of Coal City

How Coal City Began

Long ago, in 1852, a small village was started. It was called Davidsburg. People planned out the village with 16 lots for homes and businesses.

A couple of years later, in 1854, Davidsburg changed its name. It became known as Stockton. This new name matched the local post office. Stockton grew and did well for about 20 years.

The Rise of Coal City

In 1875, a new community was planned a few miles west of Stockton. This new place was named Coal City. It got its name because of the many coal mines nearby. Coal was a very important industry in this area.

A post office opened in Coal City in 1877. This was a big deal! Many businesses from Stockton started moving to Coal City. The Stockton post office eventually closed in 1879.

A Thriving Community

Coal City really started to grow when the Cincinnati & Terre Haute Railway built tracks through the town. This made it easy to transport coal and other goods. By 1881, Coal City had almost twice as many lots as when it started.

It became a busy place for trading and shipping goods. The railway helped Coal City become a key spot in one of Indiana's richest coal mining areas. Later, the Cincinnati & Terre Haute Railway was taken over by the Terre Haute & Southeastern Railroad.

Famous People from Coal City

Indy Car Driver Bobby Grim

One notable person from Coal City is Bobby Grim. He was a famous Indy car driver. Indy car racing is a type of open-wheel auto racing. Bobby Grim competed in many exciting races.

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