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History · Oolitic

Oolitic’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Oolitic. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1896established
0old images & papers
4recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Oolitic was platted on March 23, 1896, by the Bedford Quarries Company. It was incorporated in 1900. In 1910, its population was 1,079; in 1914 it had risen to about 2,000. Oolite is a type of limestone found in Indiana.

Oolitic is the site of a limestone statue of comic-strip boxer Joe Palooka, moved there from Bedford in 1984.

Oolitic is the opposing basketball team during the season opener in the film Hoosiers.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Oolitic’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Oolitic’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from OoliticWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Oolitic.Meet them →
By decade

Oolitic, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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Today4 photos
Oolitic, Indiana SignCommonsOolitic, Indiana Sign2024Oolitic, IndianaCommonsOolitic, Indiana2016Post office inCommonsPost office in2010Oolitic town hallCommonsOolitic town hall2010
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Oolitic is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Oolitic has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Indiana Limestone Company Building in Bedford, 2.6 miles away.

Oolitic and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Oolitic. Tap a dot.
Indiana Limestone Company BuildingC. S. Norton MansionBedford Northside Residential Historic DistrictBedford Southern Indiana Railroad Passenger DepotBedford Courthouse Square Historic DistrictGreen Hill Cemetery

Closest to Oolitic

Indiana Limestone Company BuildingBedford · Building2.6miC. S. Norton MansionBedford · Building2.8miBedford Northside Residential Historic DistrictBedford · District2.8miBedford Southern Indiana Railroad Passenger DepotBedford · Building3miBedford Courthouse Square Historic DistrictBedford · District3.1mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Indiana Limestone Company Building’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Oolitic?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Oolitic’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Bedford📜 Marshall📜 Indian Creek📜 Shawswick

From Wikimedia Commons (4). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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