Eaton, IN

Eaton is a town in Delaware County’s Union Township, built along the Mississinewa River about fifteen minutes north of Muncie. The town was platted in 1854, incorporated in 1873 after the railroad arrived, and became part of Indiana’s gas-boom story when natural gas was discovered nearby in 1876. The 2020 census counted 1,595 residents. Its location keeps the river and the road network in the same frame: town streets, farm country, Muncie trips, and the northern route toward Hartford City.

ATTRPublic domain

Today, Eaton has multiple parks, a community library, a farmers market, and a town calendar that mixes council meetings with seasonal drives and neighborhood events. The town uses emergency alerts for residents, while the Delaware Community School Corporation operates Eaton Elementary within town. Mississinewa River access gives the parks a natural edge, and the old gas-and-glass history still turns up in local storytelling about the Ball Corporation and the Indiana Gas Boom. Eaton’s present is modest and practical, with town hall, school, library, river, and market all shaping the week.