Mount Meridian

Resting in Jefferson and Marion Townships along the Old National Road, Mount Meridian was laid out by William Heavin and Bryce W. Miller, in the year 1833. It was at first called Carthage, but when the post office there was established in 1835, it was discovered that another post office already had that name and the post office was called Mount Meridian. In order that the town and the post office might have the same name, the town began to be referred to as Mount Meridian as well.

One of the early business establishments was a tavern/inn called the Half Way House, thus named because it was about half way between Indianapolis and Terre Haute on the Old National Road. It was believed to have been constructed in 1834 by William Heavin, Jr. Daniel Webster and Abraham Lincoln were said to have stayed there and Asbury A. McCammack, who owned the place in 1927, hung a picture of Lincoln in the room he claimed the former president had slept.

An article describing some of the early history of Mount Meridian was published in the Daily Banner on July 28, 1955:

“The Putnam County Historical Society met at Old Trail Inn on Wednesday evening for a dinner meeting with good attendance. Mrs. William Boatright, president, presided at the business session. Mrs. L. F. Hays opened the meeting with prayer.

For the program Miss Mabelle Wright read portions of an interesting "Historical Sketch the Heavin-Matthews Family” by Mrs. Bernice Bassett (A. P.) Wymann, Waterville, Maine, who is a niece of the late John Clark Ridpath. In 1827 John

Heavin, living in a beautiful home called “Lovely Mount” in southwest Virginia near Radford, decided and made plans to come to Indiana where some of his relatives had migrated. He and his family left their lovely farm of 737 acres and arrived in Indianapolis in November of 1827. The men, leaving the women and

children in the city, proceeded to eastern Putnam county to build a dwelling for the family. This proved to be a large eight room house north of Fillmore in what is now known as the Ragan and Ora Day farm community. Later on, William Heavin, Jr., established the “Half Way House” in Mount Meridian, realizing how advantageous and successful it would be to have an “Inn” on Road 40. This was built in 1834. Dr. William Matthews, a descendant of the family died in 1874 at Mason City, Illinois. Another Virginia family was John Ridpath and his twelve

children. When a storm washed away his home and his mill, he decided to settle near Fillmore. He established the first school on his farm north of Fillmore and also built a mill. His family married into the Heavin-Matthews family and John Clark and Miss Martha Ridpath are descendants. Mrs. Boatright presented three McGuffey Readers given by E. G. Ryans to the society. The meeting adjourned until September 28.”