Fontanet, Indiana

Fontanet (also Fountain, Fountain Station, or Hunter) is an unincorporated census-designated place in central Nevins Township, Vigo County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.[3] It lies along Baldwin St., northeast of the city of Terre Haute, the county seat of Vigo County.[4] Its elevation is 614 feet (187 m), and it is located at 39°34′34″N 87°14′37″W (39.5761500, −87.2436276).[5] Although Fontanet is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP Code of 47851.[6]

Fontanet, Indiana
Census-designated place
Location of Fontanet in Vigo County, Indiana.
Location of Fontanet in Vigo County, Indiana.
Coordinates: 39°34′34″N 87°14′37″W
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountyVigo
TownshipNevins
Area
[1]
 • Total4.08 sq mi (10.56 km2)
 • Land4.05 sq mi (10.49 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)
Elevation
[2]
597 ft (182 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total347
 • Density85.68/sq mi (33.08/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
47851
Area code(s)812, 930
GNIS feature ID434631

Fontanet is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Each year on the last weekend in August, Fontanet enjoys the Annual Fontanet Bean Dinner Festival, a tradition stemming from a Civil War veterans' picnic first held in 1890. The festival was originally held on land near the DuPont Powder Mill. After the mill exploded in 1907,[7] the picnic moved to the site known as Holloway Grove, donated by local landowner Bill Holloway.[8]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2020347—
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

History

Fontanet, two miles west of Coal Bluff, was also an important mining town worked and operated by the Coal Bluff Mining Company. The town also was an important railroad station on the Indianapolis and St. Louis Railroad. The mining company had a large general store, and in 1890 over 300 miners lived in Fontanet.[10]

The town's post office was established under the name Fountain Station in 1870. It was renamed to Hunter in 1877, and again to Fontanet in 1881. The post office is still in operation as of April 2017.[11][12]

On 15 October 1907, approximately 40,000 kegs of powder exploded at the DuPont Powder Mill of Fontanet, Indiana, killing between 50 and 80 people, and destroying the town. The sound of the explosion was heard over 200 miles (320 km) away, with damage occurring to buildings 25 miles (40 km) away.[13]

References
  1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  3. "Fontanet, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  4. DeLorme. Indiana Atlas & Gazetteer. 3rd ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, pp. 42–43. ISBN 0-89933-319-2.
  5. Geographic Names Information System Feature Detail Report, Geographic Names Information System, 1979-02-14. Accessed 2008-06-01.
  6. ZIP Code Lookup
  7. ""Fontanet, Indiana Du Pont Powder Company Explosion October 15, 1907": Basalt Journal Colorado". Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  8. "Hundreds gather for 113th Annual Fontanet Bean Dinner Festival": Terre Haute News
  9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  10. Bradsby, H.C. (1891). History of Vigo County, Indiana, with Biographical Selections. Chicago: S. B. Nelson & Co. pp. 481.
  11. "Vigo County". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on September 22, 2005. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  12. "USPS.com location details". USPS.com. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  13. "Town Razed and Death Reveled". The Athens Messenger. Athens, Ohio. October 17, 1907. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013.
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