Mahon (Ghost Town)

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Looking at it now, it’s hard to believe that at one point in time Mahon was rivalling Roanoke in Jackson Township. Platted in 1853 by Archibald Mahon, it originally had 94 lots running along the canal. Additions expanded the village past the river and over the railroad tracks. At first it was named Port Mahon, but around 1853 that was shortened to simply Mahon. The village never really lived up to its founder’s vision, and after the initial surge of development, a gradual decline set in.

Images

Mahon today

Jackson Township Map showing Mahon in 1879 Atlas

Mahon Village Plat in 1879 Atlas

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

According to Bash's history:

“Probably the principal reason for the selection of the town site was a fine spring, the water which was piped to the canal, where a tank was provided for its reception. This was said to be the best water supply between Toledo and Lafayette. ...

Roanoke and Mahon were rival towns for some years. … It is said that the detour of the Wabash Railroad around Roanoke was brought about by the influence of Mr. Mahon and the refusal of the Roanoke people to subsidize the road. Mahon was made a railroad station and for several years the people of Jackson Township were compelled to go there for goods shipped or to take passage on the trains. … With the decline of traffic on the canal, Mahon also declined, and when the railroad company established a station for Roanoke the town received the final blow.”

Mahon had a post office from 1839 to 1846 (as Port Mahon) and again from 1853 to 1867. The town was officially dissolved after a 1921 lawsuit over the platted land.

Sources

Ghost Towns of Huntington County. 1971. Doris Chambers, p10-14
Ancestry.com. U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com, 2010. Original data: Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971. NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28. Washington, D.C.: National Archives
History of Huntington County, Indiana: A Narrative Account. 1914. Frank Sumner Bash. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., p157-159
Huntington County, Indiana History: Township by Township. 2004-2005. Jean Gernand.
Combination Atlas Map of Huntington County, Indiana. 1879. Kingman Bros. p66, 86
“Suit Recalls Mahon Hope not Realized.” 31 Jul 1921, Huntington-Press p1 & 6
1 Aug 1921 Huntington Herald p6

Image Sources(Click to expand)

author photo

1879 Atlas