Acton is a small community located in the southeast corner of Marion County, Indiana, United States,[1] and has been included in the city of Indianapolis under the Unigov legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly in 1969.[2] The community was named for an early settler, General Acton.[3]
Acton, Indiana | |
|---|---|
  Acton, Indiana | |
| Coordinates: 39°39′20″N 85°58′00″W / 39.65556°N 85.96667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Indiana |
| City | Indianapolis |
| County | Marion |
| Township | Franklin |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Named for | General Acton |
| Elevation | 791 ft (241 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| ZIP code | 46259 |
| Area code | 317 |
History edit
The community's original name was Farmersville.[4] The town was renamed in 1854 when the U.S. Postal Service discovered there was already a town named Farmersville in Posey County, Indiana.[5]
From 1859 to 1905, a group of Methodists operated the Acton Camp Ground on 40 acres (16 ha) just north of the town, at the corner of Southport and Acton roads. An agreement with the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Railroad provided good access to the camp grounds. Fire destroyed the camp buildings in 1864, but the association rebuilt them. Another fire in 1905 again destroyed the camp, but this time efforts to raise funds to rebuild fell short, and the land was sold.[6]
Actress Marjorie Main was born in Acton in 1890. Born Mary Tomlinson, Marjorie Main, moved from Acton to Elkhart, Indiana as a child [7]
Notable people edit
- Marjorie Main, Oscar-nominated American character actress
References edit
- ^ "Acton, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Unigov: Unifying Indianapolis and Marion County · Digital Civil Rights Museum". www.digitalresearch.bsu.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
- ^ Baker, Ronald L. (October 1995). From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History. Indiana University Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-253-32866-3.
for a local resident, General Acton
- ^ "Acton, Indiana Profile". Archived from the original on 2019-05-15. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
- ^ Sulgrove, Berry Robinson (1884). History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana. L.H. Everts & Company. p. 526.
- ^ Henricks, Sylvia C. (1970). "A Good and Profitable Occasion: The Story of Acton Camp Ground". Indiana Magazine of History. 66 (4): 299–317. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- ^ "Marjorie Main: From Farm Girl to Film Star". Indiana Historical Society. 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2021-09-12.