Barbee, IN

Barbee is a small Kosciusko County community organized around the Barbee Lakes chain, southwest of North Webster. Seven natural lakes—Kuhn, Big Barbee, Little Barbee, Irish, Banning, Sawmill, and Sechrist—are linked by Grassy Creek, which continues upstream to Ridinger Lake and downstream to Lake Tippecanoe. The chain and its watershed were shaped by the last glacial retreat, leaving the nearly level lake-and-wetland country that defines this part of northern Indiana.

That water network is the local map: lake roads, shore properties, boating rules, and public access on Kuhn Lake matter here more than a conventional downtown. Indiana's fish-and-wildlife guide lists Barbee and Tippecanoe among its muskie lakes, and the property owners' association works with the state on buoys, weed control, and the natural condition of the lakes. That association gives the lake community an organized civic presence alongside the recreation around it. The settlement's name comes from pioneer William Barbee; a post office opened in 1898 and closed the same year.