Kentland, IN

Kentland is Newton County’s seat, founded as Kent in 1860 and lengthened to Kentland soon after to honor Alexander J. Kent, who bought the marshy plat and prepared it for development. It also gave the region humorist George Ade, whose name lives on at Purdue’s Ross–Ade Stadium. Then there is the geology: the Kentland impact structure lies between Kentland and Goodland, putting a probable meteorite crater into an otherwise farm-country map. Back in town, the Kentland-Jefferson Township Public Library has a local history room alongside books, programs, and a meeting room. Kentland is northwest Indiana with a courthouse role, a literary footnote, and a very old surprise underfoot.