Darlington

History

Darlington was platted by Enoch Cox in 1836. The city takes its name from Darlington, in England. The post office at Darlington has been in operation since 1837. The Pennsylvania Railroad (Vandalia district) made stops in Darlington for many years from the late 19th century up until the 1960s. The right-of-way with its numerous wood-pile trestles can still be seen along State Road 47. Many people in Darlington would ride the PRR to Lake Maxinkuckee on weekends during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Vandalia District started southwest of Terre Haute and bisected Montgomery County from Waveland, through Crawfordsville, to Darlington, continuing on to Colfax, where it crossed the NYC Big Four branch. A man named Arthur Baird II killed his parents, Arthur and Katherine, and his pregnant wife Nadine on September 6–7, 1985; this was the first triple murder to occur in Montgomery County, as well as the first murder in the county since 1978. On June 2, 1990, an F2 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bd3bESVkaM tornado] touched down southwest of Darlington and destroyed multiple homes, barns, and property around the area. The town suffered significant damage from the storm.

Geography

Darlington is located in northeastern Montgomery County. Indiana State Road 47 runs along the southern edge of the town, leading southwest to Crawfordsville and east the same distance to Thorntown. Lafayette is to the north, and Indianapolis is to the southeast. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Darlington has a total area of , all land. The town is set on higher ground overlooking Sugar Creek to the northwest. Sugar Creek is a southwest-flowing tributary of the Wabash River, which it joins north of Montezuma.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  1,068
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,051
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,015
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  938
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  851
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  807
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  763
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  736

Largest nearby schools

• Crawfordsville Sr High School
  High · Crawfordsville · 692 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• Crawfordsville Middle School
  Middle · Crawfordsville · 580 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• North Montgomery High School
  High · Crawfordsville · 516 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• North Montgomery Middle School
  Middle · Crawfordsville · 419 students · 14:1 ratio
• Laura Hose Elementary School
  Elementary · Crawfordsville · 384 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• Mollie B Hoover Elementary School
  Elementary · Crawfordsville · 375 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• Meredith Nicholson Elementary Sch
  Elementary · Crawfordsville · 368 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Pleasant Hill Elementary School
  Elementary · Crawfordsville · 294 students · 16.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2023-10-31
  7 km ESE of Linden, Indiana
• M 3.82 — 2021-06-17
  Illinois-Indiana border region
• M 3.8 — 2010-12-30
  6 km SE of Greentown, Indiana