Hoboken (Ghost Town)

Hoboken was a small town situated at the crossroads of SR 218 and 800 W, one mile north of the Grant County line. The town began around 1877 with a handful of families living in the area. The 1879 Huntington County Atlas has five Hoboken residents listed. In 1879, some of the plats in the area were owned by S. M. Shaw, A. Harlan, E. N. Trowbridge, W. H. Murphy, J. Eversale,

J. A. King, and S. E. Hale. The town was never officially marked on any plat maps, and today all that is left in the area are a few houses, farmland, and one business: Harvest Moon Scents and Primitives.

On the 14^th of May 1877, Jerome S Hale became the postmaster of the Hoboken post office when the mail came in through Grant County instead of Huntington County.  Mr. Hale was also the proprietor of the general store which contained the post office. The post office/general store was only a two room building, one side housed the post office and general store and the other side was the home of Mr. Jerome Hale. On May 24, 1879, Mr. Hale applied for a post office through Huntington County. For some reason, the post master appointments continue to show in Grant County records until the post office is discontinued on November 18, 1884. In November of 1881, Jerome Hale moved to Marion and a Mr. Skinner took over running the general store and post office. 

Although there was never much mention of Hoboken in Huntington County newspapers, after the post office closed in 1884 mention of Hoboken seems to fade entirely. No one can be certain how long the small town continued on, but the general store no longer shows up on the County Plat Map in 1895. However, people continue living in the area on farms to the present day.

1. Huntington County, Indiana. 1903. Herman Taylor, Warsaw, Ind.: National Map Co. Rockford, Ill.: Hixson Map & Litho. Co.
2. 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 33. Washington, D.C.: National Archives
3. Huntington County, Indiana History: Township by Township. 2004-2005. Jean Gernand.
4. 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
5. M1126, Post Office Department Reports of Site Locations 1837-1950. Roll 162: Indiana, Hancock – Jasper Counties. Image 805 of 1190 – Application for a post office at Cuba/ Donald. 1986. National Archives and Records Administration. Online access at https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68325942.