Monument City, Huntington County, Indiana facts for kids

Monument City was once a small town in Huntington County, Indiana. It was located where the Salamonie Lake is now. In 1965, a dam was built on the Salamonie River. This created a large lake, and Monument City was covered by water. Sometimes, when the water level is very low, you can still see parts of the old town. Many people who lived there moved away or have passed on.

The Town's Cemetery

Monument City had a cemetery called Monument City Memorial Cemetery. Before the town was flooded, the cemetery was moved to a new spot in Polk Township. You can still visit it today. The cemetery has a special monument. This monument lists the names of people from Polk Township who died in the American Civil War. The town was even named after this monument!

When the City Reappeared

In 2012, there was a very serious drought. This meant there was not much rain. The water level in Salamonie Lake became very low. Because of this, the old foundations of houses and a school from Monument City became visible. People could even walk among them! This was reported in the Indianapolis Star newspaper. However, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources soon closed the site. They did this to keep people safe and protect the area.

Remembered in Poetry

Monument City is also remembered in a special way. A poet named Jared Carter wrote about it. In 1981, he published a book of poems called Work, for the Night Is Coming. This book included a poem called "Monument City."

This poem is part of a series of eight poems. These poems tell a story about reservoirs. Jared Carter often combined real places like the Salamonie, Mississinewa, and Wabash Rivers. He created an imaginary Mississinewa River and county. This helped him tell his stories about towns that were covered by water. In 1995, he explained that he visited these towns as a journalist. He saw how they were affected by the dam projects in the 1960s.