Freedom, Indiana : History Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Freedom, Indiana

Unincorporated community in Indiana, United States

39°12′25″N 86°52′9″W / 39.20694°N 86.86917°W / 39.20694; -86.86917CountryUnited StatesStateIndianaCountyOwenTownship FranklinElevation

^[1]

538 ft (164 m)Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)ZIP code

47431

Area code(s)812, 930GNIS feature ID434803

Freedom is an unincorporated community in western Franklin Township, Owen County, in the U.S. state of Indiana.^[2] It lies along U.S. Route 231, southwest of the city of Spencer, the county seat of Owen County.^[3] Its elevation is 538 feet (164 m), and it is located at 39°12′25″N 86°52′9″W / 39.20694°N 86.86917°W / 39.20694; -86.86917 (39.2069886, -86.8691740). Although Freedom is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 47431.^[4]

History

Freedom was laid out in 1834, at which time it was an important shipping point of flatboats.^[5] The community's name is derived from Joseph Freeland, an early settler.^[6] A post office has been in operation at Freedom since 1834.^[7]

Notable people

James Pierce - Freedom is the birthplace of one of the original Tarzan actors. Tarzan and the Golden Lion starred James Pierce, a native of Freedom, and an all-American football star at Indiana University. Though his role in this previously-lost film would prove to be his largest on-screen, Pierce went on to play a permanent role in the Tarzan story off-camera. Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, who had himself cast Pierce in the film, thought well enough of his ideal ape-man to introduce him to his daughter, whom Pierce subsequently married. James and Joan Burroughs Pierce went on to play Tarzan and Jane in 364 radio programs in the early 1930s and remained married until her death. They are buried next to one another in Shelbyville, Indiana in graves reading "Tarzan and Jane". [1]
Sammy L. Davis - U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Sammy L. Davis, Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War, lives in Freedom.^[8] In early 2014, the State of Indiana honored Davis's great bravery and heroism by erecting two sets of highway memorial signs at the entrances of State Route 46 and U.S. Route 231 in Owen County, Indiana.^[9]^[10]

References

^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
^ "Freedom, Indiana". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
^ DeLorme. Indiana Atlas & Gazetteer. 3rd ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, p. 43, 49. ISBN 0-89933-319-2.
^ Zip Code Lookup
^ Blanchard, Charles (1884). Counties of Clay and Owen, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. F.A. Battey & Company. pp. 761.
^ Baker, Ronald L. (October 1995). From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History. Indiana University Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-253-32866-3. The name was formed from the name of the proprietor, Joseph Freeland...
^ "Owen County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
^ Vogt, R.J. (July 29, 2014). "He Wears a Medal of Honor". Retrieved February 5, 2015.
^ Baird, J.; Heaton, B. (January 28, 2014). "Medal of Honor recipient honored with House resolution" (Press release). Retrieved February 5, 2015.
^ staff (May 23, 2014). "Signs Designate Owen County As Home Of Medal Of Honor Recipient Sammy Lee Davis". Spencer Evening World. p. 1. Retrieved February 5, 2015.