Middletown, IN

Middletown is a Henry County town named for its position halfway between New Castle and Anderson. It was platted in 1829, got a post office in 1830, and kept enough of its old center to land both the Hedrick House and the Middletown Commercial Historic District on the National Register. The Hedrick House carries a particularly Indiana bit of history: John W. Hedrick supplied it and other homes with gas from his own wells, and the house was among the town’s first to have electricity. The Middletown Fall Creek Township Public Library keeps the everyday civic side in view. It is a small town with a literal name and a surprisingly industrial backstory.