Mardenis (Ghost Town)

Known as “Miner’s Switch” and then “Union Station,” Mardenis was the final name of this railroad stop community. It was named after William R. Mardenis who lived there and became the hamlet’s first postmaster. Later, it was the name of an interurban stop whose building was still in existence in the early 1970s (about 2/3 mi north of the actual hamlet).

Mardenis had a post office from 1887 until 1904 when the area’s mail was redirected through Roanoke. The post office was established by Mr. Mardenis, who built a small general store that he operated until 1894 when he moved to Huntington. At one time there were two grain elevators, and various limestone products were also shipped from here.

The 1887 History of Huntington County, Indiana: From the Earliest Time recalls how Mr. Mardenis came to create the town:

“in 1870, moved to Huntington County, Ind., and settled on a tract of wood land in Union Township. He cleared a nice little farm, but his health finally failing, he was obliged to abandon hard manual labor and engage in some lighter and more congenial employment. Accordingly he erected a small building on the C. & A. R. R., and was appointed railroad agent at the place then known as Miner's Switch, now Mardenis, of which town he was proprietor. He subsequently added a stock of goods and by repeated efforts succeeded in securing a post office of which he was postmaster until April, 1887. In his business venture Mr. Mardenis has been quite successful, being at this time in the enjoyment of a large and constantly increasing trade.”

According to Doris Chambers, Daniel Zintsmaster opened a Club House in 1910 and a Golf Club was formed was formed shortly thereafter. In addition to a nine-hole course, there was a driving range, store, and zoo for a short time. The Club House held dances on Saturday nights and served as a hotel and restaurant. When Mrs. Zintsmaster died in 1918, the business appears to have closed.

The 1879 Combined Atlas shows the community as Union Station. The 1903 atlas does not give the area a name.

All that’s left today is a farm house that may have been a store when first built according to Ms. Chambers.

1. Ghost Towns of Huntington County. 1971. Doris Chambers, p58-62
2. History of Huntington County, Indiana: From the Earliest Time. 1887. Chicago: Brant & Fuller, p857
3. 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
4. History of Huntington County, Indiana: A Narrative Account. 1914. Frank Sumner Bash. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., p159
5. Huntington County, Indiana History: Township by Township. 2004-2005. Jean Gernand.
6. Combination Atlas Map of Huntington County, Indiana. 1879. Kingman Bros.
7. Huntington County, Indiana. 1903. Herman Taylor. Warsaw, Ind.: National Map Co.,. Rockford, Ill.: Hixson Map & Litho. Co.
8. “Measures Course,” 20 Nov 1909, page 1, Huntington Herald.