Millgrove, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Millgrove, Indiana
Unincorporated community
Historic Methodist Church in Millgrove, Indiana
Blackford County's location in Indiana
Millgrove, Indiana Location in Blackford County, Indiana
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Blackford
Township	Jackson
Established	1867
Elevation	932 ft (284 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	47348
Area code(s)	765
FIPS code	18-49626
GNIS feature ID	2830320

Millgrove is a small, quiet place in Blackford County, Indiana. It's called an unincorporated community, which means it's not officially a town or city with its own local government. Even though many businesses closed long ago, people still live in and take care of their homes here.

Millgrove used to be a busy stop on a railroad line. It was also part of the exciting Indiana Gas Boom in the 1890s, when lots of natural gas was found. The Millgrove Natural Gas Company was one of many gas companies back then. When the gas boom ended in the early 1900s, many small communities like Millgrove struggled. As cars and roads got better, people started driving to bigger cities, and railroads became less important. This also led to Millgrove's decline.

Millgrove's Past: A Look Back

Millgrove was officially started in 1867. This happened when Blackford County's first railroad line was built through the southern part of the county. The community got its own post office on February 25, 1868. It stayed open until March 31, 1955.

An old book from 1882 called Millgrove "a place of 50 inhabitants." It also mentioned that the town had a physician (doctor), a justice (like a local judge), and a railroad agent. In the 1880s, Millgrove was home to three general stores, a blacksmith shop, a sawmill, and a factory that made tiles. A few years later, a glass factory was built.

The Glass Factory and Gas Boom

Millgrove's glass factory was one of 15 glass factories in Blackford County. Most of these factories opened during the Indiana Gas Boom. At that time, there were many companies dealing with both glass and gas in the county. The Millgrove Glass Company started in 1898. It made glass containers like bottles.

The company first used the huge supply of natural gas as fuel for its operations. But by 1905, the natural gas supply was running low. So, the Millgrove Glass Company started using gas made from coal along with natural gas. The factory closed in 1911. This was a big loss for Millgrove. A local directory from that time showed over 150 people living in Millgrove.

The Railroad's Journey

Railroad map of Blackford County 1890s

The railroad line that went through Millgrove was very important. It was called the Union and Logansport Railroad Company. This was the very first railroad in Blackford County. The idea for this line came about in 1862. It was finished in 1867, reaching Hartford City.

This railroad connected several communities in Blackford County. These included Dunkirk, Converse, Millgrove, Hartford City, and Renner. Over the years, the railroad changed names many times. Some of its names included the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Today, the part of the track that ran through Millgrove is no longer used. It is abandoned between Converse and Hartford City.

Where is Millgrove?

Millgrove is located in the Jackson Township area of Blackford County. It sits right where an old railroad line used to be. The community is about 60 mi|km south of Fort Wayne. It is also about 80 mi|km northeast of Indianapolis.

Millgrove is part of a larger region called East Central Indiana. It is also considered part of Northern Indiana. Millions of years ago, two huge glaciers flattened this area. These glaciers also created the rich farmland found in Blackford County, including the land around Millgrove.

Nearby Towns and Cities

• Dunkirk (about 6 miles southeast by road)
• Hartford City (about 8 miles northwest by road)
• Eaton (about 8 miles southwest by road)
• Portland (about 20 miles west by road)
• Upland (about 16 miles northwest by road)

Millgrove's Weather

Millgrove has a typical Midwestern climate. This means it has four clear seasons. Winters are cold with some snow. Summers can be warm and humid. The warmest average temperature is in July, around 84 °F (29 °C). The coldest average temperature is in January, around 15 °F (−9 °C).

Sometimes, summer temperatures can go above 90 °F (32 °C). In winter, temperatures can drop below 0 °F (−17 °C). The amount of rain and snow each month is usually between 2 and 4 inches (5 to 10 cm). The most precipitation happens in May, June, and July. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 110.0 °F (43.3 °C) on July 14, 1936. The coldest was −25.0 °F (−31.7 °C) on January 21, 1985.