History · Ai

Ai’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Ai was established around 1843. A post office was established at Ai in 1846, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1903. With the construction of the Northern Indiana Air Line railroad during the 1850s, business activity shifted to nearby Swanton and Ai's population dwindled.

The origin of the place's name has been a local controversy. Some say that it was named after the biblical city of Ai, while others believe that it was named after one of its founders, Ami Richards. The story continues Ami was a man, so others dropped the 'M' from his name to make the town's name more masculine.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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

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Ai, 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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National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Ai is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Ai has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Fulton Lodge No. 248 in Delta, 4.9 miles away.

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. Fulton Lodge No. 248’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Ai?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Ai’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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01