Fredonia, Indiana facts for kids

Fredonia is a small, quiet place in Crawford County, Indiana, United States. It's called an "unincorporated community," which means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a town or city with its own local government.

Fredonia's Story

Early Beginnings

Fredonia was officially planned and laid out in 1818. This process, called "platting," means someone drew up a map showing where streets, lots, and public areas would be. A post office was opened in Fredonia in 1819. This allowed people to send and receive mail, connecting the community to the outside world. The post office served the area for many years before closing in 1965.

A Time as County Seat

From 1822 until 1843, Fredonia was the "county seat" for Crawford County. A county seat is like the main town or capital of a county. It's where the county government offices are located, and important decisions are made. During this time, Fredonia was quite important. The very first brick building in Crawford County was built there.

Why Fredonia Didn't Grow

Even though Fredonia was once the county seat, it never became a very large or busy town. An old history book from 1889 mentioned that the community wasn't very successful, and many old houses were falling apart. This was mainly because of its location along the Ohio River. While being near a river was usually good for trade, Fredonia didn't have a proper "landing." A landing is a special place where boats can easily dock to load and unload goods. Other towns nearby, like Leavenworth, had good landings, which helped them grow much faster.