Lodi, Indiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lodi, Indiana
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Parke County's location in Indiana
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 Lodi, Indiana
Location in Parke County, Indiana
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| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| County | Parke |
| Township | Liberty |
| Elevation | 502 ft (153 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
47952
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| Area code(s) | 765 |
| GNIS feature ID | 438217 |
Lodi is a small, unincorporated community located in Liberty Township, Parke County, Indiana. This means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a town or city with its own local government.
Lodi is situated on Indiana State Road 234. A well-known building here is the Waterman Baptist Church, which is a red brick church found in the northeast part of the community. Just south of Lodi, you can find the W. H. York Round Barn, which was built way back in 1895. It's one of the first round barns ever constructed!
Contents
History of Lodi
How Lodi Began
The first person to settle near Coal Creek in this area was Lazarus Shirk in 1826. A few years later, James Marks arrived in March 1830. The community was officially planned and named Fullerton on April 11, 1836, by Peter Blakewell. It might have been named after Robert Fulton, who was famous for building the first successful steamboat.
Changing Names Over Time
Less than a year after being named Fullerton, the community's name changed to Lodi on January 26, 1837. This new name might have come from the city of Lodi in Italy, near Milan, Italy. That Italian city was where Napoleon won an important battle against the Austrians in 1796. The local Post Office was even called Lodiville.
The name changed again in 1857 to Waterman. This time, it was to honor Dr. Waterman, who had opened a pork packing plant and a store in the community. Later, in 1874, a person named R.M. Waterman owned large coal fields just north of town.
Past Businesses and Industries
The Wabash and Erie Canal used to pass by Lodi. It went around the west and south sides of the community before crossing Coal Creek. A special dam was built on Coal Creek to help the canal. The very last canal boat to go past Lodi was in 1875, heading north.
By the 1880s, Lodi had many different businesses. Besides the pork packing plant, there was a flour mill, a drug store, a dry goods store, and a grocery store. The community also had two blacksmith shops, a sawmill, a Masonic Lodge, a G.A.R. Post (a group for Civil War veterans), and a school.
North of Lodi, there was a health spa built around the Lodi Artesian Well. This spa was open for many years. In 1913, some business people from Chicago bought the well. They installed a large pipe so the well water could flow into a basin. They also built a big dance pavilion and a baseball field. This resort was very popular, especially during the Great Depression.
Later, the dance pavilion was turned into a roller skating rink, and the well water was used to fill a swimming pool. Sadly, the business closed when someone tried to clean the well's pipe but accidentally plugged it up instead. While many people were sad to see the resort close, others were happy because the sulfur smell from the water was finally gone!
Today, Lodi is still a small community. It has a garage, a thrift shop, a sign shop, a mower and bait shop, a vegetable stand, and an archery and gun shop.
Lodi's Location
Lodi is located right next to another small community called Silverwood.
