A free roam tour of Morgan County, Indiana

Come fall in love with Morgan County, Indiana.

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A free roam tour of Morgan County, Indiana

Martinsville, Indiana 46151, United States

Created By: Morgan County Bicentennial Committee

Tour Information

Welcome to beautiful Morgan County, Ind. — where you'll find friendly faces and a laidback, bucolic lifestyle. Whether you’re a resident, just visiting or considering a relocation, you will quickly learn this Central Indiana county is defined by its rich history and strong sense of community — a community where kindness, courtesy and helping hands are tradition.

Named after Revolutionary War Gen. Daniel Morgan, the county's official history goes back more than 200 years and features a wide range of notable highlights, including a former governor and other prominent lawmakers. It's home to the Indiana State Flag as well as the "Goldfish Capitol of the World." Famed college basketball coaches John R. Wooden and Branch McCracken were born and raised here. And the "City of Mineral Water" played an important role in bringing the county seat into the public eye at the turn of the 20th century.

In addition to its storied history, Morgan County has plenty to offer those who visit or reside at present day. It's home to one of the few drive-in movie theaters left in the state, a 3/8-mile high-banked dirt track, a fourth-generation owned and operated honey farm, and the state's only one-stop brewery, winery and distillery facility.

Morgan County is also well known for live music, and it's easy to find a great concert anytime May through October.

Many family-owned farms, markets and orchards also await, giving folks an opportunity to enjoy fresh produce, apples, lavender and pumpkins.

Navigating Morgan County is easy, as two major highways — Interstate 69 and State Road 67 — meander north-south through the county and connect this quiet, scenic community to the more bustling, neighboring cities of Indianapolis and Bloomington.

We hope you enjoy visiting and learning more about the Morgan County sites listed in this free-roam tour. Additional sites will continue to be added, so be sure to check back often!

Morgan County Statistics

Founded: February 1822 (authorized)
Population: 71,780 (2020 census)
Total Area: 409.43 square miles bisected by the White River Valley.
County seat: Martinsville
Schools: four public school systems, two private school systems

Additional information

  • https://www.visitmorgancountyin.com/
  • https://morgancountyhistorymuseum.org/
  • https://morgancounty.in.gov/
  • https://martinsville.in.gov/
  • https://www.mooresville.in.gov/
  • https://monrovia.in.gov/

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What You'll See on the Tour

Paul Hadley was a prolific artist who went on to design Indiana's official state flag. He was born August 5, 1880, in Indianapolis, but lived in Mooresville most of his life — from the early 1900s through the 1950s. He studied at the Penn... Read more
While he may not have served as governor for long, the small-town lawyer from Martinsville rose to the position based on a reputation of principle and reform. Emmett Forest Branch (1874-1932) was born and raised in Martinsville before pursu... Read more
When it comes to college basketball, no name is more prominent than John R. Wooden, who coached UCLA to 10 NCAA championships during the 1960s and ‘70s. In the process, he earned the title of the greatest coach in American sports history ... Read more
Long before John Wooden, Bobby Knight and Larry Bird, the Hoosier Hardwood household name in Indiana was Emmett B. “Branch” McCracken. Branch is best known for coaching the Indiana University “Hurrying Hoosiers” to two NCAA basketba... Read more
Mooresville, Ind., was founded in 1824 by Samuel Moore, who donated land to help officially establish the town that ultimately took on his namesake. In 1823, Samuel Moore purchased 20 acres of land atop a hill east of White Lick Creek and a... Read more
Whetzel Trace Capt. Jacob Whetzel was one of Morgan County's earliest pioneers and helped the county become what it is today. Whetzel served in the U.S. Army and fought in the "Indian Wars" in western Pennsylvania, and what are now the stat... Read more
Indiana is known around the globe for its love of basketball, particularly when it comes to high school ball. At one time, Martinsville served as the epicenter of high school basketball when it constructed the largest gymnasium in the state... Read more
Before he went on to become America's most notorious gangster, John Dillinger called Mooresville home after his family moved to the town when he was a teenager. Born in Indianapolis in 1903, Dillinger and his family moved to a farm in Moore... Read more
More than 200 years of history are packed into the one-stop museum just south of Martinsville's downtown square, where visitors can learn about the rich legacy of the area stretching back to its founding in 1822 all the way up to the presen... Read more
Morgan County — and the town of Mooresville, in particular —is perhaps best known around the state as the "Home of the Indiana State Flag." The design of the Indiana State Flag was created by Mooresville resident Paul Hadley and selecte... Read more
The city of Martinsville has a glowing sign prominently displayed on the top of a building in the northwest corner of the courthouse square. It reads: Martinsville — City of Mineral Water. Indeed, the identity of the city is often anchore... Read more
Martinsville, Ind., has a few nicknames, including Artesian City and the City of Mineral Water — both alluding to its history as the home of mineral spas that drew people from far and wide in the early 20th century. But a lesser known nic... Read more
What once served as a one-building schoolhouse for pupils of all ages throughout the area now serves as a step back in time for local students and residents. Portions of the Academy Building, which sits on the Newby Memorial Elementary Scho... Read more
The Morgan County Courthouse in downtown Martinsville is a captivating monument built more than 150 years ago. Constructed between 1857 and 1859, the structure is a 2.5-story Italianate style brick and stone building in a cruciform plan. It... Read more
Morgan County is home to one the state's earliest and largest astronomical observatories. The Goethe Link Observatory was built in 1937-1939 for the private use of Dr. Goethe Link.  Dr. Link was a prominent surgeon from Indianapolis who ha... Read more
Known as the Newby Dome by locals, the Newby Gymnasium is the first basketball gym built in the county, with construction completed in 1921. Once known as the Mooresville High School Gymnasium, the facility was built through a community eff... Read more
The Morgan County Public Library was founded in 1906 after Andrew Carnegie donated $12,500 for its construction.  That donation would have only been enough to build a brick library, but local officials preferred to have a limestone buildin... Read more
Not long after the turn of the 20th century, the city of Martinsville was booming as a tourist destination, and what better way to welcome visitors than with a new train station. The Martinsville Vandalia Depot, also known as the Indianapol... Read more
As the largest and longest-running business in town, the Hubbard Grain and Feed Mill was the primary landmark and hub of activity for anybody coming and going around Monrovia for nearly a century. But its history as a mill stretches back ev... Read more
A church, a school, a cemetery and freedom — this is what the Quaker people of North Carolina brought to the Monrovia area when they settled in Morgan County in the early 1800s. On State Road 42, east of Monrovia, you will find the West U... Read more
Wilbur, Indiana — located among the rolling hills in the heart of Morgan County — is often overlooked by passers-by driving along Stae Road 142. But for locals in the area, the small crossroads community — and in particular, the longs... Read more
The oldest church in continuous operation in the county is located about 4.5 miles northwest of Paragon near the Morgan/Owen county line.  While there are churches in the county that rival its age, Samaria Baptist Church has been in cont... Read more
The Morgan County Veterans Memorial is one of the finest memorials in the state for one its size and demonstrates the county residents' devotion to all those who have served in the U.S. military. The memorial is located on the southeast cor... Read more
Residents of Morgan County are well known for their veneration of military veterans, and Mooresville folks are no exception. The Mooresville Veterans Memorial was originally created in the late 1940s on the campus of Newby Elementary School... Read more
Do you love candy? Well, Martinsville is home to one of the best — and longest running — old-fashioned candy shops in the state. The Martinsville Candy Kitchent located in the heart of downtown is known far and wide, giving patrons an o... Read more
With an eye for the pioneer days, Old Town Waverly Park serves as a reminder of Morgan County's originas. This park is nestled in the hills of Waverly and still features the original bank from 1918, as well as the church that was renovated ... Read more
Family owned since 1944, "Grays" — as it's known to locals — is a great stop for a family meal, and people come from all around the state to do just that. The business was first started as a sandwich shop by Forrest Gray at a location i... Read more
Located between Brooklyn and Centerton, Ind., CenterBrook Drive-In offers a step back in time, when cars and cinema went hand in hand. The drive-in continues to be a popular destination for county residents and visitors alike. Minutes from ... Read more
If you have the need for speed and high octane, there's no better place to be on a Saturday night than Paragon Speedway, located in the southwest corner of the county. Paragon Speedway — a 3/8-mile dirt track — has been a Saturday night... Read more
Hunter's Honey Farm is a fourth generation of beekeepers producing pure and natural honey and bee products in Indiana for more than a century! The history of the beekeeping family goes back to 1910, when the family patriarch, Gilbert Perigo... Read more
In operation for more than a decade, Cedar Creek has quickly become one of the county's not-so-secret gems that attracts folks from throughout the region, staking its claim as the state's only winery, brewery and distillery — all in one l... Read more
Just south of Martinsville is a well known state forest composed of more than 25,000 acres that span across Morgan and Monroe counties. The area was originally cleared to farm, however they were unable to farm the area due to the rocky soil... Read more
Another place of interest in Morgan-Monroe State Forest is Stepp Cemetery — a remote burial site in the middle of the woods with a reputation for the paranormal. If this catches your attention, then maybe a visit to Stepp Cemetery is in o... Read more
Within the Morgan-Monroe State Forest, you can find Drapers Cabin a short hike off the main road. Some say it’s haunted. Other’s say it’s just a myth.  Either way, the rich history of the old log cabin tucked deep into the woods of t... Read more
Is it folklore or is it science? Better yet, take a drive to this mysterious spot and decide for yourself. Gravity Hill is an unusual stop along a busy road between Mooresville and Monrovia in Morgan County. This phenomenon seemingly defies... Read more

 

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